Head Over Heels
by FallingSilver
Summary: For Mukahi Gakuto and Oshitari Yuushi, doubles is just a game. But when a loss complicates everything, can they afford to keep playing around? [OshiGaku, other pairings, Hyoutei fic] Ch.10: The conclusion.
1. The Usual Tricks

**A/N: **Well, here it is! The first multi-chapter fanfic that I've written in months. Those of you who have read my earlier stories might not realize that I'm just as much of a Hyoutei fangirl as I am a Seigaku one, but I am! And to that end, this fic is centered around Hyoutei, specifically the characters of Mukahi Gakuto and Oshitari Yuushi and their doubles partnership.

For more thoughts and details on this fic's progress, you can check my writing journal on LJ, which is linked through my bio page. This fic has been planned out to be under ten chapters in length.

**Warnings:** Slash. Shonen-ai. Yaoi. BL. Whatever you call it, it's all over this fanfic, so don't read it if you can't stand it. The rating is accurate, however… This fic is smut-free. Also, beware of mild language and milder innuendo. Mostly because it's Hyoutei. XD

**Pairings:** OshiGaku, with a little ToriShishi, Golden Pair, and some others on the side.

**I love all feedback, reviews, and critiques.** Needless flames will be used for a backyard barbeque. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One: The Usual Tricks**

"_Doubles is all about dependence."_

…

Pull it tight. Make a loop. Wind it around. Tuck it under. Tie the knot.

Tying your shoes was just one of those things. It went like clockwork; if you knew how to do it, you didn't have to think about it. You just did it. It would be stupid to stop and ponder the existence of the shoelace, or the meaning behind tying one's shoe. Nobody did that. They just tied their shoes, and that was all there was to it.

In Mukahi Gakuto's opinion, tennis practice was a lot like tying your shoes.

"Gakuto, would you hurry up already? If you don't, Atobe's going to make you run penalty laps _again_, and I'm in no mood to wait for you."

Gakuto grimaced a little as he double-knotted his left shoelace. That drawling voice of his partner's could sound so high and mighty sometimes.

"I _know _that, Yuushi. I'm coming," he snapped, grabbing his tennis racquet off of the bench. Pausing just long enough to bend down and close the zipper on his tennis bag, he straightened up again and started walking toward the door. He would have jogged the small distance, just in case… But that would have proved his partner's point, and Gakuto didn't feel like validating Yuushi's sarcastic comments at the moment.

Naturally, even though he had complained about his partner's tardiness, Oshitari Yuushi wasn't about to jog anywhere. Once Gakuto had caught up with him, he just continued his usual stroll toward the tennis courts. Then again, Gakuto briefly reflected, Yuushi never looked like he was in a hurry. No matter where he was going, he didn't rush; he _sauntered_. It would be funny, Gakuto thought, if only it weren't so ridiculously true. Oshitari Yuushi's stride was long, but leisurely, almost graceful, like a picture… Just another example of his partner's irritating perfection.

Irritating perfection.

Yeah, that was Yuushi, alright.

Gakuto wasn't the only one who thought so, either. He knew that much. He just happened to be the one who had to deal with it the most, since they were doubles partners.

That's right. Doubles partners. In tennis.

Really, it was like tying your shoes. Gakuto just happened to be one of the shoelaces, while Yuushi was the other. Make a loop, tie together, double-knot.

That was all there was to it. It was just tennis.

Which was why Gakuto didn't understand all the _drama_ that was going on lately.

Yes, drama. Hyoutei's tennis club was currently _drowning_ in drama, and Gakuto found it both vaguely unsettling and hilariously funny.

To make a long story short, Hyoutei's tennis team had been thrown completely upside down in a matter of a couple of weeks, and the regular lineup was still in chaos. First there had been that upset by Fudomine in the Prefectural Tournament… Gakuto hadn't even been there, but it shouldn't have happened. He knew that much; they all knew that much. They were _Hyoutei_. Hyoutei didn't even use its regular players until the Kantou tournament, much less lose to some upstart team with no game record.

Still, they'd lost to Fudomine anyway, and Shishido Ryoh had been kicked off of the regulars. Of course. He'd _lost_, after all, and badly, too. The only problem was that Shishido, who had always been one of the most stubborn guys on the team, had refused to concede his regular spot gracefully. The details were all still a bit hazy to most of the club members, but somehow, Shishido had managed to fight his way back on the roster. Of course, this was only after he'd thrown some kind of drama queen tantrum and cut off his hair… And been defended by Ootori Choutarou, and then endorsed by _Atobe_, of all people. After that, though, the coach had finally relented, and Shishido was a Regular again.

All things considered, Gakuto didn't know what the hell was going on, but something was definitely off in Hyoutei's tennis club.

For one thing, Atobe wasn't the type to stick his neck out for losers. And Ootori and Shishido… Well, since when had they been buddies? As far as Gakuto could remember, they had hardly even talked to each other. It was just bizarre. And that wasn't even counting the haircutting incident.

Well, it didn't really matter to Gakuto. Not really. Even if he was curious about how in the world Shishido had managed to worm his way back into the good graces of the powers that be, it wasn't like it was important.

After all, it was _tennis_. Tennis was just a game, for crying out loud.

"Hey, Yuushi, are we still having the challenge matches today?" Gakuto spoke up suddenly, glancing sideways at his tall companion.

Yuushi allowed a pause to linger for a split second in the air, before he let out a murmuring, "Hmmm… I don't know."

"I bet we won't. I don't even think Coach knows who's on the Regulars anymore," said Gakuto with a shrug, alluding vaguely to the chaotic events of the past few days.

Yuushi smirked a little, the right corner of his mouth sliding upward.

"Probably not. But I'm sure Atobe has something planned."

"Ugh. Probably." Gakuto just rolled his eyes. Atobe was another one of those irritatingly perfect people, the kind that always seemed to know everything about everyone. And whatever else one could say about Atobe, everyone knew that he could be rather… well, _calculating_. He was practically in charge of the whole club as it was, and he did what he liked with the Regulars in particular. Half the time, though, Gakuto didn't even know what Atobe was talking about, much less what was going on in the man's self-centered head.

Well, it didn't matter. As long as all of Atobe's plans stayed the heck away from _him_.

"There you two are," an annoyed voice remarked, catching the attention of both Gakuto and Yuushi. Sure enough, there was Atobe himself, standing on the side of the court and overlooking the warm-up exercises in his usual superior way. He was scribbling on a clipboard, with the other Regular players gathered around him like they were waiting for instructions. "Ore-sama does _not_ like to be kept waiting, especially not for _certain individuals _whocan't be bothered to come to the court in a timely fashion."

Fixing his icy stare on Gakuto in particular, Atobe then switched subjects and continued to address the Regulars as a group.

"As for the challenge matches that were scheduled for today, they will proceed as planned, but with a few minor changes."

Atobe paused a moment and glanced back down at the clipboard, leaving the Regulars to exchange wary looks with each other. What was their captain getting at?

"Atobe, what are you talking about?" Jiroh wondered aloud, in his lazy, half-asleep voice. "It's not like we know who we're playing anyway."

"That's true enough, Jiroh," Atobe replied coolly, not bothering to look up. "But I'm not only referring to the playing order."

There were a few stray "Huh?" and "What?" noises at that statement, but Atobe merely ignored the interjections.

"In any event, I want you all to finish stretching, with the exception of two tardy individuals who will both be running ten laps for their apparent lack of enthusiasm." Atobe shot another glare in Gakuto and Yuushi's direction. Gakuto couldn't help grimacing at the captain's obvious contempt. What was his damage, anyway?

Atobe continued, "After that, ore-sama will be playing against Jiroh for the top singles spot in the upcoming Kantou tournament. Kabaji and Hiyoshi will also be playing against each other for third singles, and as for the doubles…"

Here Atobe smirked, and more than one Regular felt a chill go down his spine.

"Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ootori for the top doubles spot."

The uncomfortable silence in the air would have continued, if Atobe hadn't broken it with a, "That is all. You're dismissed," and calmly walked away to the nearest bench to grab his racquet.

Even so, for a split second, nobody moved. Shishido was sparing a shocked glance in Ootori's direction, who returned it with similar surprise. Jiroh looked faintly confused, even though the prospect of playing Atobe was starting to rouse him out of his barely-awake stupor. Even Hiyoshi looked as though he had been caught off guard by this arrangement, and given that Hiyoshi couldn't possibly care less about his teammates, that was saying something.

As for Gakuto and Yuushi, their eyes met at exactly the same time, and the mutual shock in their eyes was like a mirror reflecting back on itself.

They were playing against _who_ for the first doubles spot?

When it came to Hyoutei, there was one thing that people understood. And that was simply this… The Hyoutei regulars were divas. It was a universal truth, like a law of nature that you just didn't mess with. With a few rare exceptions, such as the mild-mannered Ootori, the regulars of Hyoutei were all self-centered and generally over-confident of their own abilities. Which was why Hyoutei didn't have very many fixed doubles teams. In fact, for the moment, they only had one fixed doubles team, and everyone else just fought tooth and nail for the three singles spots, leaving the losers to pick up the slack in second doubles or else become the alternate.

As for that one fixed doubles team, well… That had always been Gakuto and Yuushi.

Even so, this hadn't strictly been the case for the previous year. Some of the third-years at the time had played in first doubles, just as a matter of precedence. Still, Gakuto and Yuushi had made their Regular debut in the second doubles slot. What's more, neither had ever played singles for an official tournament. No, they were Hyoutei's one fixed doubles team, and this year they had been slated for the top spot exclusively. After all, there were no other competitors, so it had been a done deal since last fall, maybe even before that. They were a given. They were the one constant out of all the variables. That was just the way it was.

So what in the world was Atobe _doing_?

As Gakuto started to run those ten laps, like Atobe had ordered, he suddenly got the strangest feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like he'd been caught off guard and lost his balance. Like a string on his racquet had just snapped, or maybe like he'd suddenly tripped over a crack in the pavement. Almost automatically, he glanced down at his shoelaces.

They'd come untied.

As he bent down to knot them again, he glanced up at Yuushi, who had just passed him. Gakuto watched the back of his doubles partner, almost absently, as that tall figure jogged calmly around the corner.

Well, it didn't matter anyway, Gakuto thought to himself. It was just a challenge match for the top spot. And it was a challenge match against Shishido and Ootori, of all people, who had never played doubles together, not even once. And there was no way they would have any kind of chemistry on the court, not without at least practicing together first. After all, he and Yuushi had practiced together since their first year in the tennis club.

So it was already a done deal. A foregone conclusion. They would play first doubles this year, as planned. Not that it really mattered, either way, but that was just how it was going to be.

Gakuto wound the laces around his fingers, almost awkwardly.

Pull tight. Tuck under. Double-knot.

It was just tennis, after all.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

It was one of the most frustrating moments in Gakuto's life, that split second when he realized that they were not going to win against Shishido and Ootori. It was frustrating because, no matter how he looked at it, it just didn't make _sense_. He would have liked to say that they had simply been outplayed, that Ootori's insanely fast serve had shut them out, that Shishido was one step ahead of them the whole time…

But it just wasn't _true_.

In fact, as far as skills went, it still seemed like Gakuto and Yuushi should have had an edge over the makeshift pair. At the very least, the two teams were dead even in regards to abilities. And when it came to the structure of doubles, Gakuto and Yuushi were definitely a head and two shoulders above the competition. They had experience with playing doubles; they knew where to stand, how to move, what to watch for, _everything_. For them, it was practically second nature. Their opponents, on the other hand, were making it up as they went along. Like all the Hyoutei regulars, they knew the basics of doubles, but they had none of the knowledge that is required of a truly outstanding doubles team, at least not yet.

So then, why were Shishido and Ootori about to beat them?

It was just plain _ridiculous_…

"Gakuto." Yuushi had come over to his partner to discuss strategy on the changeover. His low voice sounded even lower when he was trying to be quiet. "Gakuto, I think we should try forcing Shishido to the other side of the court on the return. Maybe we can open up a hole in their formation… Gakuto, are you listening to me?"

Hyoutei's acrobat was startled out of his own thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening," he muttered, biting his lower lip. But as that murmuring voice rambled on, Gakuto found himself completely unable to focus on Yuushi's suggestions. His eyes wandered, to where he could see Shishido nodding to Ootori, smilingly, like they'd already _won_…

Oh, god.

"Yuushi," Gakuto said suddenly, completely ignoring the fact that he was interrupting his partner. "Yuushi, it's almost match point, you know."

Not missing a beat, Yuushi raised one eyebrow and smirked.

"Glad to see that you've _noticed_, Gakuto," he drawled in an ironic tone.

In fact, it was that one particular tone that never failed to completely infuriate Gakuto, that high-and-mighty tone that just screamed 'You're an idiot,' and really, of all the times Gakuto could have been spared his partner's arrogant superiority, this was the absolute _worst_, when he was already so frustrated with the whole thing…

Gakuto stomped soundly on his partner's right foot and yelled, "Shut _up_, Yuushi!"

With that, he walked back up toward the net in a huff, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be receiving serve.

There was a moment of silence, in which Gakuto stubbornly ignored the fact that all three of the other people on court were staring at him. The moment might have continued, if the too-good-to-be-true Ootori hadn't helpfully informed Gakuto that he was in the wrong place. So Gakuto marched angrily back to the baseline and got into the ready position, but not before shooting another icy glare at his wincing partner.

_Serves him right. I hope he gets a bruise, the jerk._

It was too little, too late when Gakuto realized that injuring his partner during the crucial game of the match might not have been the best idea. The sudden pain in his foot was apparently enough to slow Yuushi down, at least for a few minutes, and given that he was supposed to be covering Gakuto, as well as being the only one with some idea on how to beat the pair, an idea Gakuto hadn't even bothered to listen to…

Well, it was a short final game.

"Good game, Oshitari-senpai, Mukahi-senpai," Ootori said modestly, as the four players met at the net and shook hands.

"Yeah, whatever," was Gakuto's curt response, as he quickly shook each hand and then turned on his heels to grab his water bottle.

"Drama queen," Gakuto heard Shishido snicker as he walked away.

"Shishido-san, that's not very nice…"

But Gakuto didn't even hear Ootori's charitable protests. He was too furious. Fine, so they had been beaten, fair and square. So he'd done something at the climax of the game that proved to be, in retrospect, rather stupid. So they'd lost, when they might have still been able to turn the match around, if Gakuto had kept his head and tried to listen to Yuushi.

But he _wasn't_ a drama queen! And to have Shishido, of all people, saying that _he_ was the drama queen, when it was _Shishido_ who had thrown the tantrum, _Shishido_ who had cut his hair, _Shishido_ who had shoved his way back into the Regulars and ousted them out of their doubles spot…

God, he wanted to hit something.

"Ore-sama would say that was uncharacteristic of you, but then ore-sama would be lying."

Much to Gakuto's chagrin, he looked up, only to see Atobe standing by the court entrance. As usual, the Hyoutei captain was smirking, with an all-knowing look in his slate blue eyes. Gakuto was starting to wonder why every single person he had to spend time with couldn't seem to do anything except smirk.

"Save it, Atobe," Gakuto muttered, only to be stopped right in his tracks when he saw Atobe's expression.

Atobe didn't respond, at least not verbally, but the way he was just _staring_ at Gakuto made the acrobat freeze in place.

He didn't say anything. Just stared.

For a split second, Gakuto wondered if something had fallen onto the ground and shattered into a million pieces.

…

_You're going to lose it._

…

Resisting the urge to shudder, Gakuto snapped out of it and scowled at Hyoutei's self-loving captain.

"What's your problem anyway? It's not like it's any of your business."

"Oh, really?" Atobe's eyebrows were raised, but he wasn't as angry as Gakuto might have expected. "So what goes on with ore-sama's tennis team _during practice time_ is none of ore-sama's business? That's an interesting assertion."

Oh, for the love of… Really, it was too much to ask of Gakuto to put up with more than one arrogant know-it-all.

"First of all, it's NOT your team, Your High-and-Mightiness, and secondly, no, it's NOT any of your business!" he snarled. "So stay the hell out of it!"

Atobe didn't look the least bit shocked at Gakuto's outburst, much to Gakuto's own surprise. That didn't stop the king of divas from delivering the usual punishment for mouthing off, however.

"That's fifty extra laps for you tomorrow. And ore-sama cannot help wondering how in the world Oshitari puts up with you." The smirk on Atobe's pale lips was almost like its own subdued chuckle.

"God knows. He must be a _saint_," was Gakuto's bitter reply, oozing with sarcasm, as he stalked away toward the club room.

- - - - - - - - - -

"_I think you two should play doubles together."_

…

While it was true that it had been one of the most disconcerting losses in Gakuto's entire tennis career, it hadn't been a massacre… In fact, it had been anything but that, except for the slip at the end. 6-4 wasn't a massacre; in tennis, it was practically a draw, especially if the competing players hardly ever failed to hold serve. And it was just _tennis_, of course.

So it was only with some lingering annoyance, almost half an hour later, that Gakuto sat untying his shoes in the clubroom.

Either way, Gakuto and Yuushi would still be playing in second doubles for the Kantou tournament, a spot they were both familiar with, and even comfortable in. If Shishido and Ootori wanted to lose in first doubles, against some experienced team who would actually know what they were doing, then fine. Their loss.

Having removed his tennis shoes, Gakuto started busying himself with slipping off his jersey and replacing it with his school uniform shirt.

"Mukahi-senpai, have you seen Shishido-san?" Ootori inquired in his polite way, apparently having already forgotten that Gakuto had just snubbed him on the court about twenty minutes earlier.

Gakuto scrunched up his nose at the mere mention of Shishido's name, as his fingers worked at his shirt buttons. Like he knew where that self-absorbed drama queen had gone… Why should Ootori be asking _him_ about it? More to the point, why in the heck did Ootori care where he was in the first place?

In the slight pause that followed Ootori's question, Jiroh helpfully interjected, "Isn't he taking a shower right now? He said he was going to. Atobe gave him the key to lock up."

"Ah, you're right, Jiroh-senpai. Thank you," Ootori replied gratefully, as he made his way to the shower room.

Gakuto would have wondered why Ootori needed to talk to Shishido so badly that he was going to interrupt his shower, but at the moment, an entirely different mystery was on his mind. Of course, this mystery already had an obvious answer, and it just made him want to roll his eyes at the sheer _stupidity_ of it.

The mystery, of course, was that Jiroh had been awake enough to answer anybody's questions.

But Gakuto already knew why this was. Everybody did.

"Atobe! Atobe! Are we going to play again tomorrow? I want to play against you tomorrow!"

"Jiroh, tomorrow is drill practice," the captain replied, as he calmly opened his locker and rummaged around for some unnamed article. He hardly paid any attention to the bouncy redhead behind him, who was hopping around and tugging intermittently on Atobe's shirt sleeve.

"But, but, _Atobe_----!" Jiroh whined, like a puppy who had just been denied a pat on the head. "It's not fair! I might be able to beat you tomorrow!"

Atobe quietly shut his locker again and glanced at Jiroh, one eyebrow cocked upward. "And why, exactly, does tomorrow bode so well for ore-sama's defeat?"

"I didn't say it _did_, but it _might_, and so I want to play against you tomorrow!" Jiroh declared, as though he had actually presented something resembling a logical argument.

Atobe shook his head, sighing a little. "'Naïveté is a remarkable thing… In any event, tomorrow is still drill practice. Ore-sama's downfall will have to wait until next week. Assuming that we play each other again, of course."

The captain smirked at that. Of course, he knew that the playing order was entirely up to him, and he could decide for himself whether or not he and Jiroh would have a rematch.

Even though most of what Atobe had said had gone in one ear and out the other, Jiroh still mumbled, "I hate drill practice. It's so _boring_."

And already, Hyoutei's second-best singles player looked as though he was going to fall asleep on his feet from sheer apathy. Why the star volleyer of Hyoutei could never seem to stay awake for longer than half an hour at one time was still one of the great mysteries of the Regulars' private universe.

"Yes, Jiroh, drill practice is certainly more mundane than the weekly challenge matches, but it is nevertheless a necessary part of our training regimen, and it stands to reason that…"

While Atobe proceeded to babble out a string of multi-syllabic justifications, Gakuto rolled his eyes and tuned them both out. It was always like that. Jiroh only got excited when he played against Atobe. And he would even stay wide awake _after_ their matches, if only to ask Atobe to play against him _yet again_. Personally, Gakuto couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

It was just Atobe. It was just _tennis_.

And really, at the moment, he was just sick of the whole thing.

Glancing in frustration toward the whiteboard that stood near the exit, Gakuto found himself grimacing at the purple letters scripted in Atobe's perfect handwriting…

_**Kantou Regional Tournament – Regular Lineup**_

_Singles 1- Atobe Keigo_

_Singles 2- Akutagawa Jiroh_

_Singles 3- Kabaji Munehiro_

_Doubles 1- Shishido/Ootori pair_

_Doubles 2- Oshitari/Mukahi pair_

_Alternate- Hiyoshi Wakashi_

…

It wasn't like Gakuto really cared. Not _really_. After all, he and Yuushi could regain the first doubles spot next week. If they beat Shishido and Ootori in the next challenge match, they could regain their spot in the lineup, and it would almost be like this whole thing had never happened. So it didn't really matter…

For some reason, though, Gakuto had the strangest feeling that he and Yuushi wouldn't win in a rematch. Or in a rematch of a rematch.

… Why was that?

It was just so _stupid_. What did Shishido and Ootori have that they didn't?

Somehow, it was a question that Gakuto couldn't answer.

But why?

Almost instinctively, Gakuto glanced over at his doubles partner, completely forgetting that he had been pointedly ignoring him as a punishment for his wisecrack on the court. But Yuushi was currently engrossed in fixing his tie, and didn't even notice Gakuto's stare. His head was tilted downward as his fingers slid across the crimson fabric, glasses balancing carefully on the bridge of his nose, glinting as they shielded those long, dark eyelashes…

Gakuto couldn't help but glower at the inattentive form of his partner.

Why was Yuushi so annoyingly _perfect_?

Even with the foot incident. It was ridiculous. Gakuto had stepped _hard_ on his partner's right foot, intending to injure him, and it was true that it had affected Yuushi's game for a few points, noticeably slowing him down… But while walking back to the clubroom after the match, his usual carefree stride had returned almost instantly, and his overall demeanor had never once shown the slightest sign of agitation.

…

"_Ore-sama cannot help wondering how in the world Oshitari puts up with you."_

…

Gakuto almost growled with irritation. He knew all too well that Yuushi was superior to him in practically every measurable aspect… It wasn't like his partner's "too-cool-for-you" demeanor didn't remind him of that fact every single day. But he was getting sick and tired of having this reality shoved in his face.

…

"_Glad to see that you've** noticed**, Gakuto."_

…

Just like that, all the anger that Gakuto had felt while out on the court had returned in full force, churning in his stomach like a swirling, tangled, messy knot that he couldn't possibly ignore. Just like he couldn't possibly ignore that low, murmuring voice that rose and fell in a wavelike intonation, even with his most sarcastic, superior comments, in such a distinct rhythm that Gakuto usually knew what crack he was going to make before he'd even _said_ it…

Ugh, how he _hated_ Yuushi sometimes.

Turning back to his own tennis bag with a distinct frown, Gakuto resolved never to apologize to Yuushi for stomping on his foot. It was his own fault, anyway. And as much as he wanted to ask his partner why Shishido and Ootori hadn't crashed and burned like the makeshift doubles pair that they were, he wasn't in the mood to hear Yuushi's condescending remarks when he finally _did_ stop ignoring him…

…

"_Oh, so you're **speaking** to me now, Gakuto?"_

"_Nice to see that you've recovered from your **temper tantrum**, Gakuto."_

"_Did you want to crush my **other** foot now, Gakuto?"_

…

There was just no way in hell.

"Aw, crap," Gakuto mumbled to himself, as he searched through his bag. "Don't tell me I left them in my locker…"

Pausing for a moment to check the side pockets, Gakuto suddenly found himself occupied in an extended search for his other pair of shoes. He would have just given up and worn his tennis shoes home instead, but he would need his school shoes sooner or later, and something in him wasn't willing to admit defeat any more that afternoon. So despite the fact that it would have taken him much less time to simply put them back on his feet, he stubbornly ignored the white tennis shoes sitting on top of the bench and continued to look.

A few moments later, while he was still in the middle of ravaging his clubroom locker in the hunt for proper footwear, he was startled by a sudden remark from Atobe. The captain must have been standing right by the door, outside of Gakuto's line of vision.

"Shishido, Ootori, whoever else is still in here," he called out in his lofty voice. "Ore-sama is leaving you now. We would continue to grace you all with our presence, but we have more important things to attend to. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Gakuto just rolled his eyes as the clubroom door opened, and then shut again. But then he paused, and thought for a moment.

Was he really the last one in the clubroom?

He looked around, and sure enough, everyone else had already left. Well, except for Shishido and Ootori, who were presumably still in the shower room. But Jiroh had already sleepwalked out of the place, probably following Atobe, and Hiyoshi had been long gone over fifteen minutes ago. And Gakuto discovered, much to his inexplicable annoyance, that even Yuushi had simply disappeared from the room, without so much as a sarcastic jibe in return for Gakuto's earlier offence.

_Oh, whatever. Like I care. Stupid jerk._

Gakuto went back to searching for his shoes, and much to his satisfaction, finally found them underneath a nearby bench. He sat down, slipping the loafers easily onto his socked feet, when he was suddenly startled by the most unexpected sound.

Someone was _giggling_.

He would have called it laughing, if it could have been called that, since the idea of any of the Hyoutei members giggling like some ditzy teenage girl was just plain disturbing. But this sound certainly wasn't a snicker, and it wasn't an all-out guffaw. And the word "laugh" was just too commonplace to describe such a bizarre sound.

No, this was definitely giggling, and it was downright _scary_.

Suddenly, the giggling stopped, just as suddenly as it had begun. And then out of nowhere, two voices started chattering together, overlapping each other and finishing each other's sentences in a strangely harmonic way.

And somehow, even though Gakuto now realized who must have been giggling just a moment ago, and even though it disturbed him beyond reason, somehow…

He found himself listening to those voices.

"Choutarou, that's ridiculous. Don't _say_ things like that. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if you're for real." The first voice was still chuckling a little, and was speaking in an uncharacteristically amiable manner.

"Well, it's true, Shishido-san. I just said what I thought." The second voice was direct, but also cheerful at the same time. It was the kind of voice that sounded like it couldn't possibly lie.

"Yeah, well, I still don't know…" The first voice was apparently very amused by something, but didn't press the issue.

"Hey, Shishido-san?" The second voice suddenly sounded hesitant.

"Yeah?" The tone of the conversation changed almost instantly, like a new layer of importance had somehow been added to every syllable.

"Well, I… I had fun playing doubles with you today."

There was a slight pause after this abrupt admission.

"Yeah, it was fun, wasn't it?" was the eventual reply, said with a little more gravity than the previous banter.

By this point, Gakuto was frowning. He was so preoccupied with eavesdropping that he had almost forgotten that he wasn't supposed to be hearing this particular conversation. And at the moment, he couldn't help being irritated with the topic that had just presented itself.

Of course, they _would_ be gloating over their victory. It just figured. Gakuto could practically hear the comments about how 'lame' the competition had been already.

And yet, the odd thing was…

The customary Hyoutei-style bragging never began.

…

"Shishido-san, you don't mind playing doubles with me?"

"… Do I _mind_? Nah. I mean, at least I get to play and all…"

"… Oh, right."

There was a quick pause, but it sounded almost heavy, like there was something thick hanging in the air.

"Shishido-san… You know…"

"Yeah? … What?"

"Well…"

"Yeah?"

For some bizarre reason, Gakuto suddenly found himself hanging intently on every word. His hands gripped the bench.

What was going on in there, anyway?

"Hey, Choutarou, what were you going to say? You know, you could just…"

There was a jolting pause, and then what sounded like something hitting the floor. Gakuto jumped at the sudden noise.

"Whoa! Choutarou, what in the heck---?"

There was another quick pause, followed by a cheery laugh.

"Sorry, Shishido-san! Sorry about that. I was just kidding. Did I startle you?"

And again, there was that weird sound, that half-snicker that sounded more like a giggle.

"Cut it _out_, Choutarou. I swear, you're going to give me a freakin' heart attack someday."

"Well, I should hope not," was the amiable reply.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm so sure, when I can't even tell when you're joking," and again, the first voice relapsed into a fit of laughter.

And suddenly, with the pleasant harmonization of those two very different laughs, Gakuto felt almost sick to his stomach.

What in the…? What had just happened in there? And what in the heck was going on between those two, anyway? It was even weirder than Gakuto would have guessed. And what's more, Shishido was _giggling_, of all things. Part of Gakuto was still waiting for the world to implode upon itself.

Whatever the case, he knew one thing for certain.

Those two didn't sound like doubles partners at all. Whatever they were, it was nothing like he and Yuushi were when they were together. Sure, the two of them talked frequently, sometimes even exchanging the usual team gossip and coupling it with some sarcastic commentary or even the occasional inside joke…

… But _giggling_? Not a chance.

For just a little longer, Gakuto sat there, listening to the strange sounds that were echoing in the shower room. There was even more laughing now, and a few stray 'thud' noises, like something was being thrown around and smacked against the walls.

"Hey! Stop dodging! That's so uncool!" _Whack, bang, thud._

"Shishido-_san_! Stop it already!"

"No way! Now hold still!" _Whap! Thunk._

"Ow! Shishido-_san_!"

And the laughter got louder, and giddier, and even goofier than before. It was almost like… Like one of those dumb scenes in those romance movies that Yuushi liked to watch for who knew what reason, the kind where the guy and the girl would be flirting by acting like silly little kindergartners, and…

Oh, god.

It _couldn't_ be.

No, Gakuto quickly shook off the thought. That was crazy. It couldn't be; that would be just plain _creepy_. Not a chance. It would be too weird, even for them.

… But even so, there was something in all that laughter that was making Gakuto downright queasy.

_Ugh. I can't believe this._

Why was it bothering him so much, anyway? Even if Shishido's bizarre laughter _was_ the most disturbing thing to enter his ears for the whole semester… Even if Ootori _was_ too ridiculously angelic to be believed… Even if they _were_ acting like a couple of five-year-olds with spring fever on a sugar high, which nobody on Hyoutei _ever_ acted like, period, not even on the last day of school before summer vacation…

Even so…

Nevertheless, it was still sickening. Like trying to drink a glass of water after someone had dumped sugar into it as a joke. It was just _disgustingly_ sweet, and Gakuto had had quite enough.

Shuddering at the sound of a few stray giggles, Gakuto stood up from the bench and leaned over to grab his bag. He suddenly felt almost dizzy, like he'd just done a flip and landed it horribly wrong, but as for why, he had no idea… Maybe it was from the sudden movement…

…

"_Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ootori for the top doubles spot."_

…

Firmly gripping the strap of his tennis bag, Gakuto marched toward the door with his head down, trying to push every strange thought he'd had that afternoon out of his mind. After all, maybe it was better to just forget this whole weird mess… No matter how the match had gone, no matter what bizarre thing Shishido and Ootori were doing in the shower room… No matter what Atobe had said, or Yuushi had said, or Shishido had said to him…

He could just forget all of it, right? It didn't really _matter_. He could just ignore them. Why even give it a second thought?

And with that decided resolution, Gakuto barreled out of the doorway, and then found himself…

Colliding right into a white shirtfront.

"Oh, sorry, I…" Gakuto glanced up, did a quick double-take, and then just stared in shock. "_Yuushi_? What the hell are you doing here?"

Yuushi's serene countenance showed only the faintest hint of surprise.

"Gakuto, you _do_ realize that I'm in the same tennis club as you are, right?"

Almost instantly, Gakuto bristled at the customary sarcasm.

"You know what I meant, you moron. Why are you _still_ here?" he growled, clenching his teeth in an effort to contain his anger.

There was a small, almost unnoticeable pause.

After a moment, Yuushi just shrugged, carelessly.

"I thought I would wait for you," he replied, in that smooth voice of his.

A tiny shiver shot down Gakuto's spine, like an invisible spark of electricity. The faint sensation of vertigo was still swirling around his head, and he couldn't think straight…

Why should he have to _think_, anyway? It was just Yuushi, of all people! Who cared about what he said to Yuushi? He said whatever he felt like to Yuushi, because it wasn't like his doubles partner actually _cared_ about what he said in the first place…

Well, he _didn't_.

But somehow…

…

"_Shishido-san, you don't mind playing doubles with me?"_

"… _Yeah, it was fun, wasn't it?"_

…

Gakuto couldn't feel a thing, but he was unconsciously biting his own lip, _hard_, and grimacing like it hurt. Of course, this hadn't escaped Yuushi's attention.

"Gakuto, is something wrong? You've got the strangest look on your face…"

"Nothing's wrong!" he snapped, trying to shake himself back into reality. He would have glared at his partner, too, but for some reason, he had the weirdest feeling. Like if he looked into Yuushi's face now, it would almost be like…

Well, he just _couldn't_ look at him.

"Nothing's wrong," he repeated angrily. "I just have to go home. _Now_."

"Well, I was going to walk with you, you know, since after all it's in the same direc---"

"Save it, Yuushi!" Gakuto yelled, his face turning pink. "I don't feel like walking with you today, okay?"

Yuushi just sighed. "Is this _still_ about what I said? Really, Gakuto…"

"It is _not_!" Gakuto hissed, feeling almost guilty. He knew that he should probably be apologizing to Yuushi for stepping on his foot, not to mention for ruining the match at the last minute, and even for making such a big deal out of one stupid comment in the first place…

"Just forget it!" he finally yelled. "What do you care, anyway?"

And with that, Hyoutei's star acrobat stomped off toward the school gate, looking unbelievably angry and feeling kind of ill.

He didn't look back, of course, but his doubles partner just stood there next to the clubroom door, watching him leave. There was a distinct frown on the taller boy's lips, even though the expression in his eyes remained, as always, completely unreadable.

And then the tensai of Hyoutei just shook his head, still frowning to himself.

**- End of Chapter One -**


	2. Ease of Use

**A/N: **Here's the second chapter! This one's pretty long, because I cut out several chapters in the planning process and crammed a few extra scenes in this one. The next chapter will be shorter. Also, since the first chapter was from Gakuto's point of view, this one is going to be from Yuushi's perspective, and the chapters will continue switching off like that. Please enjoy! **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames will be stored away for the chilly winter months.

**Warning:** Shonen-ai/yaoi/slash/BL/boys-kissing-boys/whatever you call it.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Ease of Use**

"_I have absolutely no interest in playing singles."_

…

Oshitari Yuushi was taking his sweet time in walking home, which he almost always did. Even on nights when he actually planned on studying for his classes, which were few and far between, he rarely felt compelled to hurry back to his house. From his perspective, it was pointless to worry about whether this or that would get done on time; he preferred to take things in stride and not look too far ahead into the future. So it would be ridiculous to do anything other than walk at his normal pace, even when he was comparatively busy.

Besides, there were much more compelling things to think about on one's way home, other than daily schedules and mundane activities.

"Second doubles, huh?" he murmured to himself, as he stood at a street corner waiting for a green light.

…

"_Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ootori for the top doubles spot."_

…

It had been a strange day, to say the least, and Yuushi still hadn't arrived at any solid conclusions about exactly what had happened at tennis practice that afternoon. Of course, he knew that Atobe was plotting something. That much was obvious. But even for Atobe, the move had been unexpected… What was the captain trying to prove, by pitting his only set doubles team against some pair that he had formed on the spur of the moment? And it wasn't just for a practice match, either. Atobe had used it to decide the playing order at the Kantou tournament, which was the first match of the season that the Hyoutei Regulars actually played. What was the point of shaking things up so drastically this late in the year?

…

"_Yuushi, it's almost match point, you know."_

…

And that wasn't the only problem. The real issue was that the set doubles team had lost. Yes, he and Gakuto had lost, and Yuushi had the strange feeling that no matter what they could have done differently, the outcome would have been the same. It was an unsettling thought, especially because he couldn't say exactly why he thought so. He did know one thing, though…

Despite the fact that their partnership had been formed on the spur of the moment, Shishido and Ootori had something when they played together that he and Gakuto did not have. And whatever it was, it gave them an unusual amount of instinctual cooperation.

Yuushi knew this because he had tested it during the match. He had carefully chosen certain spots on the court, places where holes usually opened up in doubles formations, and observed how they reacted when he hit the ball in those places. And even though Shishido and Ootori had very little doubles experience to speak of, they had handled the holes remarkably well. In particular, whenever Shishido used his lightning-fast reaction speed to reach a difficult shot, Ootori always seemed to adjust his location perfectly, without even thinking about it. This was very unusual, to say the least, for a pair who hadn't even played doubles together until that game.

And needless to say, it made Yuushi wonder about what that mysterious element was, that thing that Shishido and Ootori had that he and Gakuto did not.

What made this even more perplexing, at least from Yuushi's point of view, was that he really couldn't recall Shishido and Ootori interacting much with each other in the past. As far back as he could remember, Shishido had lived in his own world of fighting tooth and nail for the few singles spots that were available, and he didn't make much of a point of becoming friends with any of the underclassmen.

And as for Ootori, well, there was something about the younger boy that had always seemed kind of suspect to Yuushi. Not that there was anything bad about him, exactly, but that was just the problem… There was _nothing_ bad about him. He was always perfectly quiet, perfectly polite, did what he was told and that was about all there was to him, at least as far as Yuushi knew. Which had always struck him as a bit strange. Given the second-year's remarkable talents, there was room for a little bragging, maybe just a shade of arrogance, and yet with Ootori… There was nothing like that at all. So then what was there? Oddly enough, Yuushi couldn't answer that, even though Ootori was probably the most likable of the Hyoutei regulars. But that had less to do with what he did do and more to do with what he _didn't_, which was act like the king of the world, like any other Hyoutei player.

In any case, Yuushi had no idea what Ootori's connection to Shishido was, but there had to have been something he had missed. After all, no two people could play doubles like that, without ever having practiced together, and not have _something_ in common.

So what was that something?

Yuushi calmly made his way into the crosswalk, stepping onto the opposite curb with his usual ease. The muted colors of sunset were starting to spread their way across the pavement, and his feet strode across the different shades of red, the leather on his shoes seeming to change in hue with each passing step.

Yes, something odd had certainly happened in tennis practice, and Yuushi still couldn't make sense of it, at least not yet. But as strange as Atobe's actions had been, they didn't really trouble Hyoutei's resident tensai. It was certainly a puzzle, one to mull over in his free time, but for the moment, he didn't find himself particularly compelled to resist the changing direction of the wind. After all, he had joined Atobe's tennis team of his own free will, and as far as he was concerned, the egotistical captain could run the ranks however he liked. It wasn't like it was _his_ job.

There was one odd thing that had happened in practice, however, that already made perfect sense to Yuushi. And while it didn't exactly trouble him, it was a bit unsettling, in its own strange way.

He smirked a little, with only a hint of visible discomfort, as his right foot accidentally skimmed across a pebble on the ground and kicked it some distance away.

It certainly wasn't unbearable, far from it, but his foot was still a little sore from the injury his partner had recently inflicted on him.

_That Gakuto… He really got me this time._

Yuushi chuckled to himself, remembering the enraged look on the acrobat's face, when the redhead had screamed at him and slammed his foot down. It had hurt… Of course it had hurt, but really, it was amusing more than anything else. And it was amusing because, of all the reactions Yuushi might have predicted from Gakuto at the time, it was something that would have never occurred to him.

But then again, that was Gakuto for you. Gakuto was unpredictable. Not hard to figure out, once he had done something, but certainly unpredictable.

In fact, he had to have been unpredictable, at least as far as Yuushi was concerned. He had known Gakuto for years, after all, and so if the tensai could have deciphered any pattern in the acrobat's actions, he certainly would have figured it out by now. But he hadn't, and really, that was the funny thing about Gakuto. There was no pattern to him. Everything that he did was transparent, and completely uncalculated beforehand. But since it was uncalculated, well…

There was no possible way to calculate the probability of Mukahi Gakuto's actions. Yuushi was sure of that much. And it was… Well, it was amusing, if nothing else. Certainly that. And perhaps it was also a little, well…

Well, he didn't know what the word for it was. Even though he'd been trying to think of it for over a year.

Pausing for a moment to readjust his foot inside his shoe, trying to make it more comfortable to walk in, Yuushi found his thoughts inevitably wandering toward a related subject…

What had been bothering Gakuto, anyway?

Of course, he knew why Gakuto had stomped on his foot. He had been irritable to begin with, because they had been losing the match to Shishido and Ootori, and then Yuushi had done something rather careless, without even thinking. After all, it wasn't like Yuushi didn't know the kind of thing that set Gakuto off on a tantrum. And sarcastic remarks in that respect were definitely taboo. Not that Yuushi could resist making them, most of the time, but he usually remembered to at least try and dodge the impending attacks.

At the time, though, Gakuto's remark had been unexpected, which had interrupted the tensai's train of thought, and the next thing Yuushi knew, he had said it, and well…

The pain in his foot told the end to _that_ story.

But as far as the incident outside of the locker room went, that still didn't make sense to Yuushi. Why had Gakuto been so angry that long after the match had ended? He might have been expecting some kind of apology from Yuushi for the snide remark – that was typical of Gakuto – but he usually gave the tensai every opportunity to attempt one. Most of the time, it was just a matter of whether Yuushi felt like surrendering to Gakuto's petty demands for recompense. It didn't usually mean that Gakuto would be so annoyed with him that he would yell at him for a second time and then stomp away in a fury.

And yet, Gakuto had done just that. And what was even stranger was that uncomfortable look that had been lingering in his partner's eyes, like something had just absolutely disgusted him, or maybe even scared him.

Had something happened in the locker room? But what would _that_ be?

A slight sigh escaped from Yuushi's mouth, and the tensai just shook his head. As easy as it was to figure Gakuto out, sometimes it was just plain exhausting to keep up with him. Especially his unpredictable mood swings. Gakuto wasn't exactly emotional, per se, but sometimes the tiniest little thing could get on his nerves… And then at other times, nothing could bother him; he'd just shrug it off without so much as a raised eyebrow.

In any case, Yuushi was sure that it would be a long time coming, if the day ever did come when he would be able to predict Gakuto's reaction to a given event. And if that afternoon had been any indication, that day would never actually arrive.

Oh well. That was Gakuto for you, after all.

Yuushi headed up the walkway to his house, just as the dim darkness of twilight began to fill his surroundings. The evening air was warmer now, he noticed – the slight chill of spring was finally starting to give way to the more forceful heat of summer. Slipping his house key out of his pocket, he started working at the lock on the front door, sparing one last glance at the fading light in the sky before heading inside.

"I'm home," he called out into the hallway, as he slipped off his shoes and set them down next to the entrance. There was something like a murmur in response, probably his sister's muffled voice behind the closed door of her study. She was completely engrossed in her latest project, or at least if Yuushi had to guess, that would have been his prediction. But then, she almost always was, and on those days when she wasn't, she would usually come to greet him.

With that variable factored into the daily equation, Yuushi made his way up the staircase to his own room. Dropping his tennis bag somewhere near the doorway, he looked around the room for a moment, and then his eyes fell on an open DVD case.

Oh, right. He was in the middle of watching that movie. The one that he had rented over the weekend. Well, then, that settled the matter. It wasn't like he had been planning to study anyway.

Closing the door behind him, he flicked off the lights and felt his way toward his bed, where he found the remote control and turned on the television. Sliding down onto the floor, he sat with his back resting against the bed, fingers pressing the buttons on the other remote as he tried to find where he had left off in the movie. Having settled that question to his satisfaction, he selected the scene and tossed the remote to one side, stretching out his legs and making himself comfortable.

The screen cast a faint blue light all around the room, as the movie continued with the heroine crying in the arms of her handsome – if lacking in character development – love interest. Yuushi's eyes remained intently fixed on the screen. The movie hadn't done particularly well in theaters, and the newspapers had even printed the usual scathing reviews, declaring it to be nothing more than a pathetic rehash of an already-overdone concept. In other words, it was a second-rate romance movie, the kind you couldn't have paid any of Yuushi's peers to watch.

Even so, Yuushi was watching it, and despite the predictable quality of the premise, he wasn't finding it hard to enjoy. Mainly because it starred one of the actresses he liked, which had been his primary reason for renting it in the first place. There was just something about her that Yuushi appreciated, even in her less-than-stellar roles. She had a way of delivering the dialogue that made it seem like it was something entirely new, like every poor, tired cliché had never been said before, even though it had at least a thousand times in other, better movies. Yuushi couldn't help wondering how she managed it, especially when her agent always seemed to keep finding her the same old B flick romance roles.

In any case, he liked her style, and he found himself listening carefully to the scene that was unfolding, no matter how contrived it obviously was…

"_I can't stand it anymore! I can't get you off of my mind, Ichiro. Every moment that I'm alone, I think of nothing but you, every single second…"_

"_I wish you would just forget about me, Hotaru. You and I can never be happy like this…"_

"_Well, I can't forget! Ichiro, can't you see? Can't you see that I've fallen so desperately in love with you, that I cannot live without you…?"_

…

That was strange, Yuushi couldn't help thinking.

He had heard plenty of dialogue like it before, of course. It was his hobby, after all, watching romance movies just like this one. But that was _why_ it was his hobby. Even ridiculous lines like that, lines that had obviously been cut and pasted from about a million other half-baked soap opera romances, even those lines…

Something about those lines was absolutely fascinating, at least to Yuushi.

How did it happen in the first place? That was the question Yuushi couldn't stop himself from asking, time after time. How did it start, that kind of emotion that so completely consumed a person, that they couldn't escape it?

How did love start?

Of course, he'd heard all the theories. Plenty of people thought they had explanations for it, even as they declared it to be a mystery with the very same breath. They often said that love started as an attraction to someone, or an affection for someone, or simply a preference for someone… Love was a single, heated glance across a crowded room. Love came softly, when not looked for, when it was the most unexpected. Love was a flame, a passion, the kind of thing that ignited in an instant and could burn out in a flash. Love was self-sacrifice, a patient devotion to one person for the rest of a lifetime…

Well, all those contradictory statements didn't really answer the question, of course. And anyway, by this point, Yuushi already knew the truth.

And that was that no one really knew the answer.

Still, that didn't stop him from trying to figure it out. Which was why every last poorly-devised "feel-good romantic comedy of the year" never failed to captivate him, no matter how shallow the acting was, no matter how flat the script turned out to be, no matter what it was about the film that made all his friends groan in disgust. It was still interesting to him, because Yuushi always got the feeling that it might have even the tiniest piece of an answer to his question. But was it possible to put together all those pieces, and to finally get an answer?

Yuushi didn't know for sure, but he was going to find out.

For almost half an hour, Yuushi stared into the teary eyes of the main actress, listening to the sappy dialogue more intently than he did to any lecture in class. And even though he didn't feel any closer to his answer, he sat and appreciated the effects of the lighting, and the way they played with that subtle spark hidden in the actress's smoky blue eyes…

At least, he appreciated it until his mother called up the stairs to say that dinner was ready.

Sighing a little at the interruption, he groped around for the remote and switched the television off. He'd just have to finish the movie after dinner, in that case.

And as he got up from the floor to walk out of his room, that faint pain came back into his foot, and he almost laughed aloud in amusement. Was it still hurting, even now?

_That Gakuto._

- - - - - - - - - - -

"_If we're going to play doubles, you're going to have to keep up with me."_

…

Yuushi was being tested to the very limit of his abilities. And oddly enough, some strange part of him was enjoying the challenge.

His doubles partner was being difficult. _Very_ difficult. Even before class had begun that morning, Gakuto had made it absolutely clear that he hadn't forgiven Yuushi for the previous day's sarcasm. When Yuushi had finally managed to catch Gakuto's attention in the hallway, the acrobatic redhead had made a huge show of twisting his face into a grimace and walking right past him, before Yuushi could even say a word.

Lunch period had come and gone without any kind of resolution, either. The second that Yuushi had tried to approach his partner in the lunch line, Gakuto had briskly grabbed a random selection of edible items and then latched onto an unsuspecting Jiroh, quickly disappearing with him into the crowd. Fifteen minutes later, Yuushi had seen him through a window, comfortably situated in Jiroh's homeroom and laughing with his teammate's friends in between mouthfuls.

And that wasn't even counting the numerous snubs during passing period, or even the way Gakuto had practically run away from him during morning practice. Repeatedly.

Well, this was certainly a new technique on Gakuto's part. And Yuushi had to admit that the acrobat wasn't making it easy on him. Not this time.

He wasn't about to give up, though. If Gakuto wanted to raise the stakes this time around, then he was going to rise to the challenge. No matter how determined his partner was to avoid him, Yuushi was going to get his chance to patch up the situation, and to find out for himself why Gakuto was making such a big deal about the whole thing. Yes, he was going to find some way to get Gakuto to talk to him. Even if he had to do something completely idiotic to do it.

Which might explain why he was climbing a tree during class time.

…

Atobe Keigo was passing through the hallway on a class errand, the kind the teacher always permitted him to do because the poor man didn't really have any say in the matter. In this particular case, in fact, the errand was just an excuse to make a call on his cell phone before class let out. He was finalizing a stock trade that was going to make him a few more hundred thousands to fill his personal bank account, and he wasn't going to let some silly rule about turning off his cell during class interrupt the transaction.

"Yes, I understand. I trust that you'll take care of it. Goodbye," finished Atobe in perfect English, flipping the cover of his phone closed and sliding it back into his pocket.

Suddenly, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he did a double take.

Was that Oshitari Yuushi, of all people, climbing a _tree_ in the courtyard?

"What in the world is that idiot doing?" mumbled Atobe, coming up alongside the window. He looked down at the ground beneath the tree, but there was no one there. And then his eyes wandered up toward the branches, right past a window…

Oh, so that was it.

Atobe couldn't resist an amused smirk, now that he knew what Yuushi was trying to accomplish. And then he moved back from the window and continued on his way down the hall, letting an ironic chuckle escape from his lips.

…

Yes, Oshitari Yuushi was climbing a tree during class time, and he wouldn't be surprised if it landed him in detention before the day was over. Especially since the only reason he had escaped the confines of his own classroom had been because of a decidedly transparent lie about going to the restroom. But the way he figured it, the stunt was just stupid enough to actually work. And he had run out of more conventional ideas.

Stopping just before his head was level with the second-story window, he craned his neck to try to see inside the classroom, but he couldn't manage a clear view of anything except the ceiling. Well, he would just have to take his chances. He put his foot up on a higher branch, slowly lifting himself above the windowsill until he could see inside.

Sure enough, the large picture window easily afforded him a clear view of everything in the room. But he didn't really need to see the whole room, so much as he needed to be able to see the person that he knew was sitting right next to the window. Luckily, he had guessed right, and if it weren't for the glass between them, he was practically standing next to his doubles partner.

Yes, this whole stupid stunt was just to get Gakuto to stop ignoring him. At least Yuushi figured that it was going to get him some credit for making an effort. Not to mention risking suspension.

Fortunately, things were going well so far. No one was paying any attention to the window. The last thing Yuushi would have needed was some girl daydreaming and gazing out the window, only to see him appear and start causing a commotion. But that disaster had been avoided. The only remaining difficulty was in the next step that was required in his ridiculous plan.

How was he supposed to get Gakuto's attention?

Yuushi thought for a moment. It would be difficult if Gakuto was actually listening to the instructor. If that were the case, someone was bound to notice him before Gakuto did, and that would be nothing but trouble. He stared intently at that red head of hair, trying to decipher if that slight nodding movement was indicating comprehension or just boredom.

In a stroke of pure luck, Yuushi found out it was boredom when Gakuto slowly turned his head to look out the window. Well, that was easy. Gakuto hadn't noticed him yet, but he could fix that.

A slight wave of his hand was all it took to draw the attention of Gakuto's quick eyes, and then the whole ridiculous plan was worth it. It was worth it, just for the completely flabbergasted expression that appeared on the acrobat's face. Gakuto looked about ready to fall out of his chair in surprise. Which, fortunately, he didn't, because then Yuushi would have been headed to the principal's office without question.

Yuushi restrained himself from laughing, since he didn't think that would help his cause in this case. Instead, he just waved to his partner, as though it were completely normal for him to be standing in a tree outside of Gakuto's classroom.

Gakuto's eyes were wide, as he stared open-mouthed at Yuushi. He glanced frantically at the front of the room, but the teacher had his back turned and was writing something on the board, so there was no immediate danger. Then he turned back to Yuushi, and finally managed to mouth out, "What are you _doing_?"

Yuushi could practically hear the way Gakuto's voice would match with that expression. It would be incredulous, but forceful, the kind of voice that was surprised both at the unusual circumstance and the stupidity of the person in question. Perfect.

Carefully, so that his lips could be read, Yuushi mouthed back, "I came to see you."

Gakuto's eyes looked they were about ready to pop out of their sockets.

"_Why_?" was the next question, and if it had been audible, Yuushi was sure that it would have echoed the astonishment in those eyes.

Here Yuushi paused for a moment, trying to think of some way to say it that would still be comprehensible. He went for the simple approach, trying to put an appropriately penitent expression on his face before he did so.

"Forgive me?" he asked silently.

It took a moment for his partner to understand, but once Gakuto did, his pale complexion reddened to a unmistakable pink color, and he rolled his eyes. Yuushi smiled to himself, satisfied with the result. When Gakuto rolled his eyes like that, it almost always meant that he had given up.

"Stupid," Gakuto mouthed back, not really looking at Yuushi. Yes, Gakuto had forgiven him, alright. The ridiculous plan had worked.

Suddenly, Gakuto jerked his head toward the front. Yuushi's eyes followed in that direction, only to find the teacher was facing the class again.

Gakuto quickly turned back to the window, shooing Yuushi away with his hand. Yuushi almost wanted to laugh again. Gakuto was more panicked about the idea of Yuushi being caught than he himself was. It figured, though. Gakuto was always more high-strung about everything than he was.

"Go! Go already!" Gakuto was mouthing to him, a frantic look on his face. Yuushi knew better than to try his luck any further, and ducked back down out of sight of the class.

He had the courtesy to cover his mouth, but really, he couldn't resist a laugh before he started making his way back down the tree trunk.

- - - - - - - - - -

"What were you _thinking_, you moron?"

Hours later, while everyone was getting ready for practice in the clubroom, Gakuto was still grilling Yuushi on his bizarre method of making Gakuto forgive him.

"Was it really that strange?" Yuushi played along, all the while trying to suppress a smug smile. Gakuto was not only talking to him, but he was completely overreacting about the situation, which was rather refreshing after a whole day of being ignored at school.

"It wasn't strange, stupid… It was _psychotic_!" fumed Gakuto, waving one hand in an agitated gesture and pulling on his tennis shoe with the other.

"What was psychotic?" Shishido couldn't help asking, standing on the other side of Gakuto as he rifled through his locker.

"It's _nothing. _Never mind," was Gakuto's quick answer to his other teammate, as the acrobat turned away from him and continued to rant at Yuushi. Clearly, Gakuto hadn't yet forgiven Shishido for the previous day's disaster, either. That didn't surprise Yuushi, given that Shishido had actually had the guts to call Gakuto a drama queen. He was sure that Gakuto wasn't going to forgive that jab anytime soon.

What did surprise Yuushi, though, was the way that Shishido's mere presence was apparently making Gakuto uncomfortable.

_That's odd._

"Anyway, Gakuto," Yuushi finally broke in, his low voice slipping right into his partner's rant and bringing it to a screeching halt. "I don't see what's so strange about it. You didn't give me much choice, what with the way you've been avoiding me since yesterday."

"Oh, yeah, so that entitles you to climb a freakin' _tree_ in the middle of sixth period? You could have gotten caught!" Gakuto snapped back, raising the eyebrows of more than a few other people in the room.

"Oshitari-san climbed a _what_?"

"Whoa, you climbed a tree during class? That's awesome!"

"Oh, shut up, Jiroh." Gakuto rolled his eyes again as he tied his shoelace, which was approximately the hundredth time he'd rolled his eyes that afternoon.

Just like that, a pretentious voice cut into the conversation, bringing the snide remarks to an abrupt end.

"As I thought, that was Oshitari I saw climbing a tree in the courtyard this afternoon," Atobe coolly observed, giving a significant look to Gakuto first and then to Yuushi. The captain's gray-blue eyes remained fixed on Hyoutei's resident tensai, who returned the stare with composure.

"Why was he climbing a freakin' tree, anyway?" Shishido cut in, looking extremely annoyed at being ignored.

Gakuto was more than ready to retort with an angry "None of your business," but before he had the chance, Atobe just gave Yuushi a resigned look, as if to say, "Do they _both_ have to be like this?"

And before Gakuto could say anything, the captain filled in, "It was a creative method of reconciliation, I suppose."

"What you _talking_ about, Ato---"

"Anyway, ore-sama is tired of waiting for all of you to get dressed," Atobe interrupted, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "If you don't hurry up, you'll all be running laps. And yes, that means that a certain Mukahi Gakuto will be running _more_ laps, in addition to his current debt of _fifty_, which he had better start doing _soon_ if he doesn't wait to be panting his way around the courts for the _entire practice_…"

Atobe's miniature lecture was ended with the decisive sound of the door closing, and had been punctuated by several flinches from Gakuto, as Atobe carefully emphasized the more significant words.

Well, that certainly quieted the room down, as everyone scrambled to finish dressing.

"Oh, shrivel up and die, Atobe," was something to the effect of what Yuushi thought Gakuto was mumbling under his breath, as he hurriedly tied his other shoe. That, and a few choice swear words.

Yuushi suppressed a chuckle and leaned over, meeting Gakuto's eye level as best as he could. "So does all of this mean that you do forgive me, in spite of my stupidity?"

Gakuto wouldn't even meet his eyes, but he did toss his head in his usual defiant way, muttering, "In spite of your stupidity is right, you moron."

"You'd better hurry with those laps," was Yuushi's complacent response, as he bent down to pick up his tennis racquet. "After all, you wouldn't want to keep me waiting. Right, Gakuto?"

"No, of course not, Yuushi," was Gakuto's sarcastic response, as he stood up from the bench and started rushing toward the door.

Yuushi watched the hurried way that his partner dashed out toward the tennis courts to start running his fifty laps, and he then just shook his head.

_That Gakuto._

Though he couldn't help wondering about the way his partner couldn't seem to stop blushing.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Yes, that's right. But don't forget to move closer to the center when you hit a cross-court volley." Yuushi nodded in approval, and then sighed to himself while he waited for his teammates to get back into position.

How had he gotten stuck with this job, anyway?

…

"_Alright, everyone," Atobe had begun, glancing over some notes that he had scribbled down the night before. "As you all know, the first day of the Kantou Regionals is tomorrow, and we will be facing Seishun Gakuen in the first round. Of course, this means that it will be the first match where all the Regulars will be playing in the lineup. And in preparation, I have arranged a few specific exercises for you to complete before the day is over…"_

"… _Oshitari, since your partner is still running, I want you to drill the Shishido/Ootori pair on doubles strategy. Afterwards, you both will keep rallying with them until the end of practice."_

…

Well, of course he had been following Atobe's orders. Everyone followed Atobe's orders during practice time. But the whole thing still seemed a bit pointless to Yuushi. After all, there was no way to change the fact that Shishido and Ootori were a makeshift pair that had never competed together in a tournament. And cramming a year's worth of doubles strategy into their minds the day before the match wasn't going to make a huge difference, either. Once a player was actually on the court, Yuushi knew, they played the way that they were used to playing. Which meant that when push came to shove, the best doubles tips in the world weren't going to help them very much.

But even more than that, Yuushi was confused as to why he should have to do it by himself. Couldn't Atobe just postpone Gakuto's punishment until next week? After all, he and Gakuto were in the second doubles slot for the tournament, and it would make more sense to play together as a team and teach Shishido and Ootori that way.

Apparently, though, having things make sense was too much to ask for. At least for this week.

…

"_Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ootori for the top doubles spot."_

…

Oh, well. Yuushi figured that it was best to just play along with Atobe's little game, whatever that might be. Above all else, it was useless to argue with the confident captain, and Hyoutei's resident tensai wasn't really in the mood to attempt it.

"You can serve already, Yuushi!" Shishido was calling to him over the net. Yuushi couldn't help raising a skeptical eyebrow at that.

"I would, but I don't think your partner can receive serve from there," he remarked calmly, pushing his glasses up toward his eyes.

"Huh?" Shishido just looked confused for a moment, and then glanced over next to him. "Oh. Hey, Choutarou, it's your serve!"

For a moment, the second-year didn't seem to be listening, and then he snapped to attention. "Oh. Right! Sorry, Shishido-san, Oshitari-san…"

That was the other thing Yuushi didn't understand. As well as Shishido and Ootori had played together the day before, something was starting to seem a bit off about them. Even though they were still showing some remarkable cooperation on doubles formations, they were starting to make strange little errors, the kind of mistakes that Yuushi only expected beginners to make. Like standing in the wrong place for _receiving serve_. Honestly, Yuushi couldn't remember the last time that his feet had failed to carry him to the base line automatically upon finishing the appropriate point.

He could, however, remember the last time that Gakuto's feet had. Since it had been yesterday.

Meanwhile, Ootori's face had turned bright red, and even Shishido seemed uncomfortable, though about what, Yuushi didn't have the slightest clue.

"Okay, Choutarou, let's do the formation perfectly this time!" Shishido exclaimed enthusiastically, probably in an attempt to overcome the awkward atmosphere.

That was another thing. _Choutarou_? Since when did Shishido call Ootori by his first name?

"Right! Let's do it," Ootori agreed, if a little more quietly than his doubles partner. Yuushi couldn't fault him for his ability to get focused again, even if the look that he had given Shishido seemed a bit… odd, to Yuushi at least.

In any case, Yuushi served the ball, and then returned it as promised… a short hit that went cross-court over the net, but was just within Shishido's reach. Once Shishido had hit the ball back, he went all the way to the other side of the net and left Ootori to fill up the gap that he'd created. Meanwhile, Yuushi had already taken a second ball out of his pocket and hit it straight down the alley, right past the second-year's reach.

Or rather, it had been past the second-year's reach every other time they had tried it, but for this point he actually managed to hit the ball with the edge of his racquet. Unfortunately, it just ended up flying right into the net.

"Ah, too bad… You almost had it that time, Choutarou!" Shishido encouraged his partner.

"Well, maybe. Oshitari-san is very good at hitting down that alley," noted Ootori with a smile, as he rubbed the back of his neck modestly.

"Technically, if this was a real match, you wouldn't be getting such a quick shot down that side… Unless Shishido had made a real mess of his return," Yuushi observed, glancing at the player in question with a somewhat ironic smile.

Shishido bristled slightly at the remark. "Hey, I haven't missed once, have I?"

"You know, technically," another voice broke in. "If this was a real match, you would have another player at the front to deal with."

"Good timing, Gakuto." Yuushi didn't even have to turn around to know who had just arrived. Even so, he spared a glance over his shoulder, and sure enough, there was his partner with his hands on his hips and a racquet at his side, if still pretty winded from all the running he'd done.

"You sure took your time with those laps, didn't you?" Shishido couldn't resist commenting.

"Shishido-sa---"

But before Ootori's cautionary interjection could even be completed, Gakuto simply dismissed the remark with a light shrug and a toss of his head. Yuushi was glad to see that Gakuto was in a good mood, for the first time in over a day. Apparently, the things that had been bothering him for almost twenty-four hours straight were finally off of his mind.

_Unpredictable, as usual._

"Say whatever you want. But you better save your breath, because now you're going to be the one running," was the acrobat's warning.

"They _are_ the ones teaching us, Shishido-san," Ootori added quietly. It was those gentle words that seemed to put Shishido in his place, more so than anything Gakuto said. Yuushi noticed this with slight interest.

"So, what are we drilling them on?" Gakuto asked, coming up alongside his partner.

"Nothing complicated. We reviewed shifting positions in the standard formation, and now we've moved on to poaching techniques," Yuushi briefly summarized in tennis lingo, bouncing the ball absently on his racquet as he did so.

"Does that mean I can't even move around at net?" Gakuto grimaced at the thought.

"Not yet, at least. We're not getting into anything fancy right now." Yuushi confirmed Gakuto's assumption with a nod of his head. "Besides, whoever they're playing tomorrow, I'm sure they won't be doing anything as flashy as your moves."

"Well…" And here Gakuto paused significantly, staring right up into his partner's eyes. "_Maybe_ they won't be doing anything flashy. But maybe they will. Right?"

"Oh, right." Yuushi had forgotten about that little detail. Namely, the detail of their predetermined opponents. "In that case, maybe we should go over some more variations at net…"

"Variations at net? What's that for?" Shishido finally cut into the conversation, with mild confusion appearing in his eyes.

"It's for tomorrow. Just in case. Right, Yuushi?" Gakuto shot his partner another significant look, and as he nodded in response, Yuushi finally started to realize what a mess Shishido and Ootori had gotten themselves into.

The Golden Pair. Their opponents were going to be the Golden Pair.

Well, the match with the infamous Golden Pair of Seigaku was just going to have to be their throwaway match for the day. No skin off of Yuushi or Gakuto's nose. In a way, actually, it was pretty lucky that they had gotten bumped down to doubles two. Even though Yuushi was confident that he and Gakuto were better than this much-lauded Golden Pair, he didn't mind being spared the hassle of facing them on court. It was convenient, really.

Though he almost felt sorry for Shishido, seeing as how this was supposed to be his big chance to keep his regular spot on the team. Almost.

"So, are we going to get this started, doubles partner?" Gakuto said suddenly, gripping his racquet in his left hand and making his way to the net.

"I guess we are, doubles partner," was Yuushi's amused response. Gakuto even had that mischievous sparkle in his eyes, that one that proved as plain as day that he was sure that they were going to give Shishido and Ootori a workout.

…

As it turned out, they did give their teammates a workout, and Yuushi was reasonably satisfied with the day's work. Even if Shishido and Ootori were doomed for an ultimate loss, they certainly weren't going to look like doubles amateurs out there, and that was really all that Yuushi was aiming for. At least then he wouldn't be blamed for any extenuating circumstances, such as a remarkable pair of opponents…

Yuushi just shook his head. He really didn't envy them.

"Are we done here, Yuushi?" Gakuto came up to the bench and reached for his water bottle, sounding somewhat breathless.

"I think so. It looks like everyone's gathering up over there, probably for a review of tomorrow's schedule." Yuushi nodded toward the court on the end, where most of the Regulars and all of the other club members were standing around and waiting.

"Okay. Let's go already," Gakuto declared, grabbing his racquet and making his way toward the meeting place.

"Sure," Yuushi responded calmly. But before he stepped off of the court, he glanced behind him, his eyes taking in the way Ootori was helping Shishido up off of the bench, with the shyest smile he had ever seen.

"Gakuto," Yuushi suddenly remarked, catching his partner's attention. "Is there something going on with those two?"

He nodded toward the court, and noted the way that Gakuto bristled as soon as he saw what Yuushi was talking about.

"_Ugh_… Hell if I know," shuddered Gakuto, the corners of his mouth twitching into a disturbed frown.

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Needless to say, the disgusted reply had intrigued Yuushi. He tried to read his partner's face, but he didn't understand where such a strong reaction was coming from.

"Well, I know there's something going on, but _what_---? I really don't want to know. Not after what I heard," Gakuto stated firmly, the disgust still evident in his voice.

Now, Yuushi was genuinely confused.

"What you heard?" he repeated. "What did you hear?"

Gakuto glanced around quickly, as if to make sure that no one was listening, before leaning in toward Yuushi and mumbling, "I don't really know, exactly… I heard this whole conversation they had in the shower room yesterday, on accident, and it was just plain _creepy_."

Suddenly, Yuushi remembered.

…

"_Nothing's wrong! … I don't feel like walking with you today, okay?"_

…

"Oh, now I get it," Yuushi said in a knowing voice, as a slight smirk crept onto his lips. "That's why you were acting so strange after practice yesterday."

For a moment, Gakuto looked confused, and then that familiar pink color started to slip onto his cheeks.

"Well, yeah. What's your point? I mean, I was annoyed already, and then there was _that_…" The acrobat just trailed off, falling into an embarrassed silence.

"What exactly did they say that was so revolting?" Yuushi couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

"Well, what did they… I mean, it was just _stupid_! I don't know what all they were saying, but it was kind of like this 'I like playing doubles with you' crap, and then Shishido kept laughing at every freakin' thing that Ootori said. No, not even laughing. It was more like he was giggling. It was _weird_, Yuushi."

Gakuto was getting redder with every word, but this was a fact that was almost escaping Yuushi's notice, in his interest at what his partner was saying.

"It sounds weird," Yuushi agreed at last, mulling over this idea in his mind. It seemed blatantly out of character for at least one of the individuals in question, but if it was true, it was certainly interesting. And it didn't seem like something that Gakuto would make up, either. Embellish, maybe, but not come up with out of nowhere.

"Well, it was. And I don't really want to think about it," Gakuto blurted out almost awkwardly. "But there's definitely something going on with those two. And whatever it is, it's disturbing."

"Hmm. You might be right," Yuushi agreed, thinking back on the day's practice, and the way Ootori in particular had committed a handful of ridiculously inane errors.

Hyoutei's only established doubles pair continued making their way to the far court, but Yuushi couldn't resist taking one last look backward as they walked. Sure enough, there was the makeshift doubles pair that had beaten them just the day before, the one that had apparently had a bizarre conversation in the shower room and were on unusually close terms with one another, when no one could even remember them being friends in the first place.

By this point, however, they were just innocently gathering up the stray tennis balls on the court, and Yuushi found it almost hard to believe that there could be anything strange between them.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Everything goes according to plan. There are no accidents. Not when I'm in charge."_

…

It was late. In fact, it was much later than Yuushi normally liked to leave school, but there was no help for that. He was one of his classroom representatives for the week, which meant that once after-school activities were over, he had to go check with the other class rep and make sure that the classroom was clean.

Actually, that was one of the main reasons why he had been able to wait for Gakuto the previous day. He had been forced to hang around anyway, so he might as well have walked home with someone who was more decent company than the shy girl who was paired with him for cleanup duty. Of course, that had backfired, but he didn't really mind walking home alone, either.

Today, though, he would certainly be walking alone, since Gakuto had bolted off the second that practice was over, rambling something about stopping by a music store on the way home. At first, Yuushi had wondered about this seemingly random declaration, but then he remembered that Gakuto usually liked to have one or two new CDs to listen to on the bus during tournament season. And, of course, the Kantou tournament started tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

It seemed almost sudden, Yuushi thought to himself, in spite of the fact that they had all known the tournament date for months. Hyoutei Regulars spent most of the year just practicing, and practicing, and practicing… Sometimes tournament season came as something of a shock after all of that monotony. What's more, for the first time in club history, the Regular roster had been altered not once, but _twice_, only one week before the Kantou tournament. In all that confusion, it had been easy to lose sight of the fact that they would be competing that very weekend.

Almost as an afterthought, Yuushi glanced toward the tennis courts as he came out of the school building. It was getting close to twilight, and the whole place should have been pretty desolate by this time. To his surprise, however, he discovered that the court lights were on, and he could hear the faint sound of a tennis ball being hit against a racquet.

_Who would be playing there at this hour?_

As he walked toward the courts, he gazed at the horizon, taking in the way the blazing colors of sunset were slowly melting into the surrounding darkness of night. Once he had arrived at the clubhouse, though, he found himself ignoring the beauty of nature in favor of the bizarre phenomenon that he had just discovered. It was strange enough that anyone in all of Hyoutei was on the courts during the evening…

What was stranger, though, was that the person in question was none other than Shishido, and Ootori was with him.

_Them again. They're still here, after all this time? What in the world are they…_

Yuushi would have pondered this unnerving coincidence for some time, if not for the fact that his train of thought was quickly interrupted. As he stood there, watching the two Regulars rally the ball back and forth, he was suddenly aware that someone's eyes were fixed on him from behind.

He knew those eyes.

"Did you know about this, Atobe?" he said aloud, not even bothering to confirm his suspicions by glancing behind him.

"Perhaps," was the calm reply, said in the captain's smooth voice. "You're leaving school rather late today, aren't you, Oshitari?"

"Perhaps." Yuushi fixed his cool stare on the tennis court for a moment longer, and then he turned to face Hyoutei's top tennis player.

"You're here rather late yourself, Atobe-buchou," Yuushi added after a moment, letting the honorific slip off of his tongue with just a taste of irony.

Atobe didn't respond, instead taking a few steps closer to the courts so that he was standing right next to Yuushi. His gray-blue eyes were still fixated on the distant forms of Shishido and Ootori, as they ran back and forth across the court.

"Every night," the captain murmured at last.

Yuushi started at that. What was Atobe talking about?

Before he could ask, however, Atobe clarified, "They've been here every night, those two. For over a week now."

There was something hidden in those ice-cold eyes that Yuushi didn't like at all…

Atobe knew something that nobody else did, and he wasn't going to tell anyone.

…

"_Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ootori for the top doubles spot."_

…

"Atobe," Yuushi suddenly spoke up, with just a hint of tension lingering in his deep voice. "What exactly are you plotting? I know you planned the change to the lineup, so don't try to play dumb about it."

Those ice-cold eyes turned on Yuushi, and Atobe's lips slid into his signature smirk.

"You're awfully suspicious today, Oshitari," he chuckled. "It was nothing more than an experiment, really."

Yuushi almost wanted to groan, even though there was no way that he was going to, not in front of Atobe. Sure enough, the captain wasn't going to answer any questions on the subject.

"Atobe, you and I both know that once you've gotten a so-called experiment into your head, you've calculated everything from step A to step Z and back again," Yuushi retorted as calmly as possible, given the captain a pointed stare from behind his lenses.

Atobe's smirk remained fixed on his face, as he continued looking at Yuushi. But somewhere in the pause that followed the tensai's remark, something about that expression became even more unsettling.

"Very well, Oshitari. I admit it," Atobe replied at last, in the particularly smug tone that never failed to grate on his teammates' nerves. "Unfortunately, I was right in my estimations, and so there's no point in explaining my decision."

"What do you mean, unfortunately?" Yuushi repeated, raising an eyebrow.

But the quick response silenced his confusion.

"Unfortunately for _you_."

As Yuushi stared into Atobe's gray-blue eyes, a chill went down his spine.

…

_You're going to lose it._

…

Just as suddenly as he had appeared, the captain turned on his heels and started making his way toward the clubroom. But Yuushi wasn't satisfied with the cryptic answers that he'd been given.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ato---"

But he was interrupted.

Atobe stopped in his tracks, and absolutely glared at Yuushi.

"Well, you should know. But that's why you lost. I hope you're aware of that fact." Atobe paused for just a split second, and then added in a lighter tone, "I wonder how long you can afford to keep playing around like this?"

Yuushi was dumbstruck, as the captain turned back again and continued on his way. The door to the clubroom opened and shut, and the tensai was still standing there.

_What in the…?_

After a full minute of silence, Yuushi found himself just shrugging it off. It was typical of Atobe, to say things like that and not even follow up with anything resembling an explanation. Sometimes, Yuushi just didn't know what to make of the man. He returned his gaze to the tennis court in front of him, intending to steal one last glance at the two stragglers before his departure.

The spectacle that met his eyes, however, was the last thing that he would have expected to see.

Right next to one of the court benches, Ootori was leaning down toward Shishido's face, giving his senpai a hesitant kiss on the cheek.

Not surprisingly, Shishido's face had turned about seven different shades of red in response.

"Choutarou!" Yuushi could hear his teammate exclaim. "What was that for?"

Ootori seemed to be murmuring some kind of apology, but the smile on his face was so bright that it seemed almost pointless.

"Tch, sometimes you can be so…" But Shishido couldn't seem to finish the thought. Instead, he just shook his head for a moment, running his hand up and down the side of his baseball cap. And then he smiled.

Yuushi couldn't hear what it was that Shishido finally mumbled to his partner, but he was still smiling when he went up on his toes and kissed Ootori in the exact same place.

Well, that settled the matter in Yuushi's mind, once and for all.

…

"_There's definitely something going on with those two."_

…

The problem was obvious at this point, and the truth of the matter was that Yuushi didn't want any part of it. He and Gakuto had been right about them, and Yuushi had seen quite enough of this strange situation. He was leaving.

Even so, Yuushi had the faint conviction that he had just seen a glimpse of something that he had missed all along, something very important, but…

No. It was time to leave.

On his way home, Yuushi couldn't help noticing the way the night was still warm, which was very different from what the weather had been only a few weeks ago. Somewhere between the school and his house, he found himself gazing up at the sky, squinting into the dark until he felt like he was lost somewhere up in it.

The stars still looked small and dim, but they were shining, up there in that black stretch of space…

Yuushi was startled by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He checked the screen, and almost to his surprise, he knew the number.

_Gakuto?_

"Hello?" he murmured into the receiver, his voice sounding a bit husky in his own ears.

"_Hey, Yuushi. You ready for tomorrow?"_

"As ready as I can be, I suppose," Yuushi managed in response, feeling himself relax slightly.

"_Yeah. Hey, do you have your math book with you?"_

Yuushi thought about this for a moment.

"Yes," he finally replied. "I think I do, anyway…"

"_Great. Could you bring it tomorrow? I have some questions about my homework…"_

"Yeah, sure. I'll bring it," Yuushi answered slowly, glancing back up at the sky.

"_Cool. Hey… Yuushi?"_

The sudden hesitance in Gakuto's voice caught the tensai's attention. Almost too quickly, he asked, "What is it?"

"_Uh, well… Are you alright? You sound kind of weird."_

This took Yuushi by surprise, and he was forced to suppress a chuckle. Despite his quick temper and his tendency to ignore what he didn't like, Gakuto could be amazingly perceptive at times. For a split second, he wanted to tell Gakuto about what he had seen that evening, but he immediately decided against it. It was better to not even mention that whole incident.

"I'm fine, Gakuto," he said, being careful to sound convincing. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"_Sure. See you tomorrow."_

Yuushi flipped his cell phone shut, and then he smiled to himself, satisfied with the conversation. That's right. Everything was fine. Tomorrow was the Kantou tournament, and after Hyoutei's victory there, he and Gakuto could fight their way back into the doubles one spot with no further problems. Yes, Hyoutei's tennis team had been in chaos for a week or so. But that was about to end, with the start of the Regulars' steady march to the National tournament. There would be no further reason to think about the strange series of events that had comprised Shishido and Ootori's journey to becoming a doubles partnership.

No reason at all, Yuushi repeated in his mind. It didn't concern _him_.

In the corner of his eye, Yuushi thought he saw a shooting star, but when he looked up again, it had already disappeared.

**- End of Chapter Two -**


	3. Offensive

**A/N: **As promised, a shorter, lighter chapter, again from Gakuto's perspective. This takes place in episode 55 and the manga volumes 14-15, during Seigaku's match against Hyoutei. Once the match is over, the plot's main focus will become the pairing itself. Please enjoy! **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames are unanimously ignored.

**Warning:** Future shonen-ai/slash/BL/yaoi/whatever-you-call-it.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Offensive**

"_Playing doubles is having the comfort of a friend by your side, along with the pressure of letting that friend down."_

…

It was still very early, hardly past dawn on a weekend morning, a time when the typical middle school student should have still been lying unconscious in bed. But Hyoutei's campus was bustling with activity anyway.

Five buses. _Five_. It still seemed ridiculous to Gakuto, no matter how many times he had seen it before, but it was always like this.

Hyoutei's tennis team and its various spectators usually needed about five buses to get to their tournaments, once they had finally reached the Kantou Regionals.

There were many reasons for this, and some of them were just stupid, in Gakuto's opinion. But there was no help for it. For one thing, Atobe insisted that the Regulars needed their own separate bus. Which Gakuto didn't mind at all, especially since their bus was one of the Atobe family's charter buses, which meant it came with the occasional perk or two, like, oh, _maids_.

Apart from that, though, Hyoutei needed three buses just to get all their other club members to the tournament. Which their coach Sakaki insisted was critical, because he required every last hapless club member to be at any match that the Regulars were playing in, so that they could cheer like the wannabe groupies that they were.

As for the last bus, that was for overflow, and also for storage, and for one other thing…

"Omigosh, look, it's _Atobe_! Ah, he's so _hot_! _A-TO-BEEEEE!_"

Gakuto flinched. Yes, that's right.

Fangirls.

Personally, Gakuto just didn't get it. Sure, he could understand why someone might be impressed with Atobe. The man was not only skilled in tennis to the point that he was known as a national-level player, but he was outstanding at just about everything he had ever attempted in his entire life. Not to mention he was loaded with cash, spoke several different languages with perfect fluency, and commanded his native dialect with a skill that could have rivaled the most glib-tongued dictator. Oh, and he was only _fourteen_.

But what exactly was it about the man that caused massive hoards of screaming girls to follow him around like sheep?

As for Atobe himself, the captain seemed to be perfectly in his element. He was even armed with a megaphone so he could still be heard in the chaos, as he gave orders to just about everyone in the general vicinity and continued to check off an endless list of items that was attached to the clipboard he was holding.

"I need the first-year cleanup team for the week to do a trash sweep of the buses before and after our arrival… As for this month's general assistants, I need a water count from the coolers that are sitting by bus number three… Oh, and Taki, would you make sure the speed gun and the portable recorder is in the equipment box? And, ladies…"

Here, all the fangirls tittered with the excitement of being addressed by the suave captain.

"Could you please try to contain your very flattering enthusiasm for a few minutes?"

More squeals.

"I don't know when he's going to learn that talking like that only encourages them," a low voice sighed somewhere above Gakuto's head.

Gakuto resisted the urge to snicker, but he couldn't resist taking the opportunity to tease his doubles partner.

"You mean, unlike you, Yuushi?" he asked, trying to look innocent. "You're always so cold, just ignoring all those poor, pathetic, ear-piercing _shrieks_, while those girls pour their hearts out to you…"

It was no secret that a handful of the girls that followed them around secretly admired Oshitari Yuushi just as much as they adored Atobe Keigo. And Gakuto never got tired of harassing his partner about it.

"Shut up, Gakuto," was Yuushi's deadpan response.

"Seriously, though, Atobe's enjoying this way too much," Gakuto added more seriously, glancing at the self-absorbed captain again.

Yuushi's eyes lingered on Hyoutei's top player for almost a minute, before the tensai casually remarked, "He's excited about something."

Gakuto did a double-take at that. But he couldn't see any particular evidence of excitement in Atobe's expression.

"What are you talking about, Yuushi?" he demanded, sounding very skeptical.

"Atobe's excited about something," Yuushi repeated calmly, still looking at Atobe as though he was trying to decipher some secret code that nobody else could see.

Gakuto took another look at Atobe, and then turned to Yuushi. And then his eyes went back to Atobe, who was still rambling on the megaphone in his usual arrogant voice. And then they went back to Yuushi. But the cryptic expression on his partner's face wasn't any help, either.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Gakuto finally declared, feeling annoyed. "What would he be so excited about, anyway?"

"It's just a guess, but…" Yuushi shrugged slightly. "Don't you think it's because we're facing Seigaku again?"

Up until that very instant, Gakuto had hardly thought about it.

But suddenly, all the memories of the previous year flooded back into his mind.

…

"_Game, set, and match to Hyoutei's Atobe Keigo, 6 games to 4."_

"_Can you believe it? Atobe even beat Seigaku's captain. He's invincible!"_

"_He'll be the captain next year for sure. Just one more win, and we've shut Seigaku out of the Nationals!"_

"_And it's our captain's match, too. There's no way we can lose!"_

…

"_Game, set, and match to Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu, 6 games to 4."_

…

"_No way. Who is that guy? He's their vice captain, isn't he? Unreal…"_

…

…

For a moment, Gakuto was silent. Now it made perfect sense. But then he just rolled his eyes at the whole thing. Honestly, Atobe had such a taste for the dramatic that it was ridiculous. It was just _tennis_.

"He'd better not get his hopes up," he commented to Yuushi. "Who knows if the playing order will even work out like that? Maybe that Tezuka guy will be in second singles this time."

For a moment, Yuushi was silent. And then he smirked.

"Oh, it will work out like that, alright," he replied confidently. "Seigaku's captain has to know what Atobe's plotting. And he knows that he'll look like a coward if he backs out of the first singles spot for this match. The reports are that he's been playing at singles one for almost the whole season already."

"You seem unusually interested," Gakuto noted with some surprise. He wouldn't have expected Yuushi to be up to date on the tennis reports. Normally, neither of them even cared enough to read the articles, at least not until the National Tournament.

Yuushi just shrugged again. "I'm not. But the rumors have been flying, and it's been getting rather hard to ignore. Besides, everyone's interested in our match today. It looks like in spite of the Fudomine fiasco, people haven't forgotten who the competitive schools really are. I doubt they'll make this much of a fuss again until the finals."

"Well, _that's_ true enough," Gakuto agreed, with the usual toss of his head. "It's too bad for Seigaku that they got so unlucky in the draw. Otherwise, they might actually have made it to Nationals this year."

"Too bad, indeed," Yuushi repeated with a slightly amused chuckle. "In any case, shall we?"

Gakuto's partner was gesturing toward the Regulars' bus, where several of their teammates were already boarding. Gakuto nodded in reply, grabbing his tennis bag.

"Sure. Let's go!"

As Gakuto was making his way to the bus, with Yuushi following close behind him, he couldn't help thinking to himself about how easy the match was going to be for the two of them. After all, they weren't even in first doubles. Instead, they were going to get the privilege of taking the credit for the first victory of the day… And then, in all probability, Gakuto was going to get the secret satisfaction of watching Shishido crash and burn against the Golden Pair. And of course, Hyoutei was going to win in the end.

He couldn't help thinking that it was going to be a fun day.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I hate geometry."

Gakuto scrunched up his nose in displeasure, trying to concentrate on the long list of notes that he'd written during class. But the fact that he still couldn't grasp the one line he had been reading for the past fifteen minutes was starting to grate on his nerves.

"I know you do. But simply declaring that the picture looks like an equilateral triangle does not actually prove that it's an equilateral triangle," Yuushi remarked, an amused smirk dancing across his mouth.

"Well, what's the point of proving it?" Gakuto growled, crossing his arms in a huff. "If I can see that it's supposed to be equal on all three sides, why can't I just say it's equal and be done with it? Proofs are a complete waste of time."

"You've been saying that ever since we started studying it, but you still have to do them for the test, you know." Yuushi started flipping through his textbook, looking for a sample problem that matched up with Gakuto's class notes. "Anyway, it's just about learning to think logically with the definitions we've learned. That's all."

"Tch. Logic, huh?" Gakuto shifted in his seat, trying to get a better look at the pages. "No wonder you're good at it. I just suck at math."

"You don't exactly _suck_ at it, or at least you wouldn't, if you didn't hate it so much. Besides, you like chemistry, don't you? What's the difference, exactly?" Yuushi leaned over and started underlining a few key points on Gakuto's notes.

"That's _completely_ different. In chemistry, you can just memorize the boring stuff. Anyway, it's based on something you can actually see and feel, most of the time. It's not just a bunch of ink on paper," Gakuto sniffed, trying to pay attention to what Yuushi was explaining.

"I suppose so. And logic certainly isn't your forte, after all," Yuushi chuckled, writing something in the margin of his partner's notebook for future reference. Gakuto resisted the urge to retort, as he watched Yuushi's long fingers guide the pen in a dark blue scrawl across the paper.

He couldn't help noticing, as he usually did, that his partner's handwriting looked so much more interesting than his own. Whereas Gakuto had a tendency to write very simply and precisely, Yuushi's handwriting was more like a careless stream of steadily flowing pen strokes. It could get somewhat hard to decipher at times, but Gakuto was used to it, and he thought it looked…

Well, it almost looked beautiful, really. It reminded him of a professional's handwriting, or maybe a celebrity's. Kind of… _artistic_.

Of course, the very thought was amusing to Gakuto. Yuushi couldn't draw any more than he could, which was to say, not at all. But there were still a few things about his partner that struck Gakuto as almost poetic… Like those glasses that Yuushi insisted on wearing, even during their tennis matches, despite the fact that he could see fine without them. Like the way the frames would slip just a little down the bridge of his nose, whenever he tilted his head down, like he was doing now…

…

"_Glad to see that you've noticed, Gakuto."_

…

Suddenly, Gakuto was very conscious of the fact that he was staring at his doubles partner, and he could feel the blush starting to come into his face. He quickly looked away, pretending to be searching for something in his tennis bag. He really didn't want Yuushi to notice the way his face was turning red, not when everything was finally starting to feel normal again, not when he had finally forgotten about the bizarre conversation in the locker room between Shishido and Ootori…

Oh, god.

Why was _that_ still on his mind, anyway?

It didn't have anything to do with him, or with either of them, for that matter. He and Yuushi were doubles partners, and that was all there was to it. It was just tennis, and…

It was just Yuushi.

So why was he blushing like this?

"Gakuto."

His heart leapt out of his chest in surprise.

"What?" he demanded, jerking upward again, and narrowly missing hitting Yuushi's face with his head.

"That was close," Yuushi noted calmly, leaning a safe distance away from his blushing partner.

"Sorry," Gakuto mumbled back, trying to breathe normally as his heartbeat attempted to regain its normal rhythm. He didn't know why, but suddenly, he didn't think that he could stand listening to that low, murmuring voice for even one second longer. It had seemed so close in that moment, right next to his ear…

"I'm getting a drink," the acrobat blurted, springing out of his seat like something had burned him.

Two eyes were following him as he walked away, watching him quizzically from behind gleaming lenses, but Gakuto just ignored them.

"How's geometry going, Mukahi-senpai?" a friendly voice inquired as he walked toward the front of the bus.

"As usual," was the ironic response, as Gakuto attempted to sound calm, like everything was perfectly normal. Because it _was_ perfectly normal, after all… He was sucking at geometry, and Yuushi was teasing him about it, and Ootori was being overly polite…

Yes. Perfectly normal.

"That badly, huh?" Ootori was asking, looking sympathetic.

"Yeah, pretty much," was Gakuto's wry answer, as he rolled his eyes and continued on his way down the aisle.

He passed by Hiyoshi, who wasn't doing anything except sitting and staring out the window, glaring at it as though he wanted to melt the glass with his eyes. But that, too, was relatively normal. And Kabaji was also just sitting there, somewhere near the front, so that he could be within hearing distance of Atobe. _Very_ normal.

The only thing, in fact, that was maybe slightly abnormal about the ride was all the racket that was coming from the front of the bus. Which was mostly due to the chaotic noise of rapidly-changing radio stations.

"I swear, you two are getting on ore-sama's last nerve."

"But, Atobe-! The song was over!"

"I know that, Jiroh. But I still wish that you could just pick a station and stick with it."

"Aw, who needs that? If we listened to you, we'd probably be listening to classical music, or some crap like that…"

Gakuto couldn't resist a snicker as Shishido stopped turning the dial, and some rap song started resonating through the bus.

"For your information, Shishido, it is called 'classical' for a reason. In any case, it's genuine music, unlike this poorly contrived jumble of barely rhythmic _jargon_…"

"Whatever. Hey, Jiroh, turn up the volume…!"

Gakuto had to grasp the back of one of the seats to avoid being floored by the sudden attack on his eardrums. The longsuffering bus driver even swerved a bit in the lane at the deafening onslaught.

"Holy crap, Jiroh, not that loud!"

"Whoops, sorry…"

"… Ore-sama should be considered a martyr for enduring this kind of torment."

Almost as quickly as it had started, the assault was muted to a dull roar, and the two perpetrators continued fiddling with the dials.

"Oh, hello, Gakuto," Atobe greeted the acrobat, suddenly noticing that he was standing in the aisle. "What brings you here? Although it's certain that you must envy my current position, seeing as how ore-sama is being treated to a music selection from _hell_…"

"Aw, save it, Atobe," was the mumbled interjection.

"In any case, what can ore-sama do for you?" Atobe continued, flashing one of his customary smirks. Yes, this was shaping up to be a normal bus ride, alright.

"Actually, I just wanted a drink," was Gakuto's brief reply. But Atobe only managed to raise his hand before Gakuto interrupted his usual finger-snapping gesture.

"I can get it myself. The refrigerator's right here."

Atobe just lowered his arm and shrugged. "Suit yourself, then. But the servants are being paid for it, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," and Gakuto couldn't resist rolling his eyes one more time, before reaching into the bus's refrigerator and grabbing a soda can. Yes, it was crazy that the fancy charter bus had its own refrigerator, not to mention that it was currently being staffed by a couple of Atobe's personal servants. But then, this was Hyoutei, and that was normal, at least for them.

Yes, perfectly normal. Normal like geometry being a pain in the neck, and like Yuushi making sarcastic remarks. Like Ootori being way too nice to be real. Like Atobe being annoyed by rap music.

Yes, it was a normal bus ride for the Hyoutei Regulars, and the start of a perfectly normal day at the Kantou tournament, where they were about to crush Seishun Gakuen and advance to the Nationals…

Everything was normal.

… Wasn't it?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Haven't you heard? Seishun Gakuen is facing Hyoutei Gakuen in the first round."_

…

The Kantou Tournament was just the same as Gakuto remembered it. In fact, it was being held in the exact same place as the previous year. And except for a few newcomers like the underdog Fudomine, it was being attended by the exact same teams that it always was. In all likelihood, the end result would be the same as well. The same winners would be advancing to the National Tournament, and the same losers would be going home for the season.

It was certainly looking that way for Seigaku, Gakuto thought smugly. It was too bad, really, because the rumors said that they had improved considerably from the previous year, when Hyoutei had beaten them and shut them out from the Nationals. If only they hadn't had such bad luck, as to face Hyoutei in the very first round at Kantou…

Of course, it had been Atobe who had drawn the number fifteen at the captains' meeting, which had placed Hyoutei in Seigaku's bracket. So in a way, maybe it wasn't Seigaku's bad luck, so much as it was Atobe's devilish tendency to create a stir and cause problems for other people.

Either way, it wasn't going to be pretty, but Gakuto didn't really care. As long as he and Yuushi won, it wasn't his problem.

"Hey, Yuushi, we're the first match today," Gakuto reminded his partner as they walked toward the courts. Of course, they both already knew that, but it was still strange to be back in the second doubles spot, where they would be the first to face the opponents.

"Seigaku, huh?" Yuushi's tone was casual, as always. "We'll have to be careful. They should be a little tougher than other opponents."

"Well, maybe," and Gakuto just shrugged. "I guess we'll see about that."

"I guess we will." Yuushi glanced at him, and Gakuto met his partner's stare. And at the exact same time, they both smirked. It was time to pull off an easy victory, not to mention put Shishido and Ootori in their place. They were the set doubles pair, after all. And that was just the way it was.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Hyoutei! Hyoutei! Hyoutei!"_

There was just something about being on the Hyoutei Regulars that could make a tennis player feel like a superstar. Maybe it was the massive amount of people that were always following them around, for no reason other than to cheer them on to victory. Maybe it was how complete strangers would get out of their way as they walked to their next match, or the way those strangers would start whispering in awed voices, "That's _Hyoutei_, you know. They were the runner-up last year."

Or maybe it was the way they always followed Atobe around. Their captain, of course, had the self-assurance of royalty, and his lofty aura was contagious to his followers and unsettling to his enemies. Just having Atobe for a leader was enough to give the Regulars a confidence that couldn't be shaken.

In the end, though, it was all those things rolled into one. It was just a part of being on Hyoutei's tennis team, and Gakuto was perfectly familiar with that feeling.

Which was why he knew they were going to win.

There was one other thing that had made Gakuto even more positive of this outcome, if that were possible. Him, and every last person on Hyoutei.

Their opponents had practically self-destructed, before the match had even begun.

No one knew exactly what had happened, but it was true. The second that Atobe had been handed the final line-up for the match, the captain's raised eyebrows had told them all that Seigaku was in trouble. Somehow, Seigaku's vice captain, Oishi Shuichiroh, had failed to show up that morning. And this Oishi Shuichiroh just happened to be one half of the famous Golden Pair, which had been Seigaku's only conceivable hope for winning a doubles match against Hyoutei.

Now Seigaku had two makeshift doubles pairs, and their odds of even making it to the singles two match were practically nonexistent. Kabaji was in third singles, after all, and at Atobe's command, the gigantic second-year was ready to do anything to his opponent, perhaps short of actually killing them with his power shots.

"_Hyoutei! Hyoutei! Hyoutei!"_

It was almost a disappointment, really. In fact, it really was a disappointment to at least two people… Jiroh had already checked out mentally for the day, and was dozing off on one of the benches. As for Atobe, Gakuto thought that he could detect some annoyance from the self-absorbed captain, at how predictable this match was going to be.

"I guess Atobe really did want to play against Tezuka," Gakuto murmured to Yuushi as they took their racquets out of their tennis bags.

"Apparently so," Yuushi agreed, glancing quickly in Atobe's direction.

"Well, too bad," Gakuto remarked, tossing his head. "There's just no way that Seigaku will last that long."

"_Hyoutei! Hyoutei! Hyoutei!"_

For a split second, Gakuto and Yuushi's eyes met, just before they headed out onto the court to claim the first win.

"_The winner will be Hyoutei. The loser will be Seigaku."_

"Let's go," Gakuto said with a grin. Yuushi only nodded in reply, but his partner could see a familiar glint behind those glass lenses.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_There's this Kikumaru guy in that Golden Pair that everyone's talking about. His moves are kind of like yours, Mukahi."_

…

Gakuto and Yuushi had taken control of the match from the very first shot.

This was expected, of course. But there was one thing about this match that was going to make it all the sweeter for Gakuto, once Seigaku tasted the shame of their defeat. He had almost forgotten about it, until he had stood in front of their opponents and remembered what their names were. And then he realized it.

That was _him_. That was the Kikumaru Eiji that everyone was always talking about.

He hadn't just _heard_ of Kikumaru, of course. No, he and Yuushi had even seen the Golden Pair play once, during the National Tournament. But that was exactly why, even though they had never met face to face, that this Kikumaru Eiji had always annoyed him.

It was because there was nothing special about him. His moves weren't impressive; they were predictable, like the antics of some cocky beginner. Any showoff could hit a ball from behind his back. Gakuto had been doing that kind of thing since elementary school.

And yet here was this Kikumaru Eiji, and everyone talked about him, like he was some great tennis player. His skills were nothing more than childish techniques that Gakuto had long since outgrown. And there was a part of him that had always been itching to prove that there was nothing more to Kikumaru's so-called "acrobatics" than cheap tricks.

Well, here was his chance. And what's more, they weren't even dealing with the Golden Pair. Just Kikumaru and some second-year named Momoshiro, the same Momoshiro who had mouthed off to the Hyoutei Regulars and admitted outright that he couldn't play doubles. Obviously, the two had no hope of winning, and even Seigaku must have known this was a throwaway match.

And so Gakuto was more than ready to take the opportunity to set the record straight. He would show everyone who was the real acrobat in the Kantou region. He had already told Kikumaru that to his face.

"_I will show you what it means when they say, 'There's always someone better out there.'"_

The first point went like clockwork. Yuushi took the return by hitting it back to Momoshiro, who managed to pull off a straight shot that was aimed higher than usual. This gave Gakuto the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his own technique, so he bent his knees and jumped…

"There it is! Mukahi-senpai's Moon Salute!"

It was a sensation that only Gakuto could be familiar with, that dizzying moment where the sky above and the court below him melted into one continuous blur. But he _was_ familiar with it, and the shot was perfectly executed, rocketing across the net as it eluded the front player's reach…

Gakuto's satisfaction turned to shock when the front player did reach it, and Kikumaru hit the ball past him with one of his "acrobatic volleys."

"Leave it to me, Gakuto."

That same deep voice that had startled him on the bus ride filled his ears, and before Gakuto even knew what was happening, Yuushi hit a lob from the baseline and won the point.

Like clockwork. That was the way they played doubles. That was the way it was supposed to be played.

Of course, he and Yuushi were going to win the match. Gakuto didn't doubt that for a second. But that didn't stop him from being annoyed about that stupid volley from Kikumaru, the one that had slipped past him like it was something better than a cheap shot. Yes, it definitely annoyed him.

He wasn't going to let Kikumaru think that he'd won. What's more, Gakuto had had enough of losing for that week.

_Ka-thump. Ka-thump. Ka-thump._

The sound of Gakuto's shoes hitting the ground as he jumped echoed in his own ears.

…

"_Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ohtori for the top doubles spot."_

…

Yes, Gakuto had had enough of this.

For the rest of that service game, Gakuto made his point clear, and he completely dominated the shots. Every time Kikumaru tried to jump, Gakuto jumped further and higher, hitting perfectly-aimed volleys that flew by his opponent. He could even hear some of the Hyoutei members bragging, about how "Mukahi-senpai's acrobatics" were better than Kikumaru's. Yes, he was making his point, repeatedly… He hit ball after ball right past the dismayed redhead, until the game was over.

And then he turned to Yuushi with a smirk on his face.

The game count was 1-0. They were winning.

Of course.

**- End of Chapter Three -**


	4. Shaken

**A/N: **Here's the rest of the match against Seigaku! After this chapter, the plot will be proceeding much more quickly to the climax. This chapter is again from Yuushi's perspective, and some of the dialogue was taken directly from the fansub of episodes 55-57, so beware of spoilers. Thank you for all the reviews so far. I really, _really_ appreciate them. Please enjoy! **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames will be ignored.

**Warning:** Future shonen-ai/slash/BL/yaoi/whatever-you-call-it.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Shaken**

"_It is always pride that comes before a fall."_

…

Something wasn't right.

It had taken Yuushi nearly five games to realize that something wasn't right about this match. When he had been forced to use Higuma Otoshi in the second game, it had merely seemed like an interesting opportunity, one he hadn't expected to encounter until at least the semi-finals. And when he had decided to end the fourth game with a perfect drop shot, just to show Momoshiro that he was already one step ahead of him, he had been more than confident in their chances of crushing their opponents, 6-0.

But now something had changed. And as far as Yuushi was concerned, it didn't make the least bit of sense. Their opponents were a makeshift pair, after all, formed at the last minute in the unfortunate absence of Seigaku's vice captain, who was known for being the only decent doubles player in all of Seigaku…

And now this makeshift doubles pair was using the Australian Formation.

"Sorry, Yuushi," Gakuto was saying, having just dropped a point as a result of the new formation. "I was following Kikumaru's movements…"

Yuushi kept his eyes fixed on the opponents, who were strategizing at the baseline.

"We let them regain some ground," the tensai conceded after a moment.

"It was plain luck just now!" Gakuto interrupted, clearly annoyed. "It's not a formation they can pull off."

Yuushi just smirked. That was true enough. The Australian Formation was a highly advanced doubles formation, the kind of thing that could be suicidal for doubles amateurs to even attempt. And Yuushi knew more than enough about it to send the opponents into self-destruct mode, as well as guarantee Seigaku's eventual defeat…

He decidedly ignored the nagging feeling somewhere inside him, the feeling that it wouldn't be as easy as it seemed to break apart the formation. After all, that feeling was completely illogical, and Yuushi had no time to speculate on the matter.

Time to set their opponents straight.

"Leave it to me, Gakuto. Don't worry," was all he said, before heading back to the baseline.

The next point proceeded exactly as the tensai had intended. Momoshiro served the ball, and Yuushi instantly detected that the power player was making a dash for the net. In that case, the perfect spot to hit it was toward the baseline on Kikumaru's side. Yuushi knew for a fact that the acrobatic player would never guard the back of the court, and even regardless of that, he wouldn't have enough time to react to the shot. It was a perfectly executed reading of the formation…

It failed.

Much to Yuushi's astonishment, Kikumaru made a sudden dash for the baseline, pulling off a shot while he still had his back to the net. What was worse was that Gakuto hadn't expected such a quick return, and he ended up hitting a weak lob that became the perfect setup for one of Momoshiro's infamous Dunk Smashes.

"A perfect combination!" Yuushi heard one of the Seigaku members shout in excitement, as Gakuto started cursing aloud. The tensai, however, remained silent, lost in thought.

_This is completely ridiculous… For Kikumaru to take the rear guard position…_

Something really wasn't right.

Yuushi's misgivings were only reconfirmed when Kikumaru finished off a service game with the Moon Volley, Oishi's signature move.

"It's like watching the Golden Pair play!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

… _The Golden Pair?_

Was that the problem?

If ever there was a phenomenon that Yuushi had not been able to grasp, that would have been it. He could still remember the first and the only time he had seen the famous Golden Pair play. It had been during the first day of Nationals the previous year, and it had remained in the back of his mind as one of those puzzles that he had never gotten around to solving…

…

"_That's them, Yuushi," Gakuto said, pointing to a nearby court. "They're the Golden Pair that everyone's been talking about."_

"_So that's them, huh?" Yuushi replied nonchalantly, taking a good look at the two Seigaku players. They didn't seem particularly remarkable, but then again, the tensai was more than aware that appearances could be deceiving in tennis. He couldn't help wondering what it was about the two second-year players that everyone found so amazing._

_It was then that Yuushi decided that he wanted to watch their match._

_It was a hot afternoon on that day at the Nationals, on the day when he and Gakuto watched the Golden Pair play. They watched them play, out there in the hot sun, for at least an hour, taking in their every move as a doubles partnership. They watched this so-called Golden Pair play against a team that was more experienced, more powerful, and more skilled than they were…_

_They watched this Golden Pair win._

_In a strange way, Yuushi had to admit he was impressed. But he wasn't impressed because of any special formations that the pair had executed, or because of any elaborate sign play or innovative poaching techniques that he'd seen…_

_He was impressed because he had absolutely no idea why they'd won._

_He simply couldn't figure it out. Whatever it was that enabled the pair to beat a team that was better than they were, it had completely eluded Yuushi's analytical skills. Of course, he could see that the two had an unusual amount of instinctual cooperation. But beyond that, he had no idea why they were such an effective combination, or where that instinctual cooperation even came from._

_He knew one thing, though. That wasn't how he and Gakuto played doubles. He and Gakuto had a system, and they never deviated from it. There was no reason to deviate from it. They never tried anything that they hadn't tested out and perfected in practice. They only worked at improving their respective skills, without interfering with the other's techniques in any way._

_No, he and Gakuto certainly didn't play like the Golden Pair._

_But then again, why should they? There was nothing truly special about them, not that Yuushi could see. In fact, in the tensai's opinion, this "perfect partnership" was decidedly overrated. It relied on something too intangible to be of any real use in a high-level match. Teamwork could only get them so far, after all. Sooner or later, they would realize that they would need actual skill to win a match, and that would be the end of that much-lauded partnership._

_So why should they play like the Golden Pair?_

_Well, they wouldn't, of course._

…

It wasn't long before Yuushi found himself staring at a scoreboard that read, "4-3," a stark contrast to the "4-0" that had previously graced that panel just minutes earlier. Yes, Seigaku's makeshift doubles combination had actually managed to take three games in a row against him and Gakuto, and Hyoutei's side of the bleachers had grown decidedly quiet.

He could hear his partner exclaiming in frustration, "There's no way a makeshift combination can be this good!"

Yuushi couldn't help mentally agreeing with that comment.

"The unexpected happens," he replied, his voice sounding strangely casual in his own ears.

_The unexpected…_

Maybe that was all there was to it. It was certainly true that their opponents were a makeshift team, and that one of the two players they were facing was completely inexperienced in doubles, whereas he and Gakuto had been practicing for years. This was all too true, and yet…

The unexpected could still happen. Probabilities could be deceiving. There was always a slim chance that the most unlikely thing could occur, that the underdog could get lucky and win a few service games…

Somehow, though, this didn't feel like a stroke of luck to Yuushi. And it felt even less like luck when Momoshiro revealed that he had thirty-six rules for systemizing doubles written on his arm, like some hapless student's last-minute attempt to cheat on an exam…

_This is completely insane._

Of course, a person could break down all the techniques of doubles into a few key rules. It wasn't that special; every decent doubles player knew that. And a person could even do something incredibly stupid, like enter a competitive match as a doubles amateur and write those rules on his arm as a basic guide to follow. But there was no way such a pathetic move could win a match, certainly not against an experienced doubles team that had been practicing all those techniques for years.

There was just no way.

… Was there?

The sun was rising higher in the sky at the Kantou Regional Tournament, as the second doubles match between Hyoutei and Seigaku wore on. And as Yuushi's astonishment grew with every passing point, the tensai failed to notice a young man standing at the top of the bleachers, looking as proudly at the makeshift doubles pair as if they were his own children.

Oishi Shuichiroh, the other half of the Golden Pair, was watching over the match.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Fine, I'll play doubles with you. And I'll keep up with you, too. You can bet on that."_

…

Gakuto was completely exhausted.

At first, Yuushi hadn't even noticed it, which just proved that this match was taking place in some alternate dimension, where the laws of nature and logic no longer applied. Normally, when there was a problem in one of their matches, Yuushi detected it right away, and fixed it if necessary. But as for Gakuto's fatigue, the tensai didn't even realize it until his partner missed a simple volley, leaving him to pick up the shot from the baseline.

"Gakuto, concentrate!" he couldn't help exclaiming, almost surprised at his own frustration. What was it about this match that was throwing them off, anyway?

"I know," Gakuto snapped in reply, not even looking at him.

Even from where he was standing, Yuushi could see the sweat dripping off of his partner's face, in small drops that fell lightly onto the court. The acrobat's breathing was strained and irregular, and those blue eyes were unfocused, even distant…

Of course, by this point, Yuushi knew they were in trouble.

This had never happened before, certainly not as far as Yuushi could remember. They had lost plenty of matches before, of course… But when they did lose, it was always because they had been outplayed. It was because of the skill of their opponents. It had never been because they had been pushed so far by a lesser team that Gakuto had started falling apart.

It had never been like this…

Except that it had been. One other time.

…

"_Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ootori for the top doubles spot."_

"_Gakuto, I think we should try forcing Shishido to the other side of the court on the return. …Gakuto, are you listening to me?"_

"_Yuushi, it's almost match point, you know."_

"_Glad to see that you've noticed, Gakuto."_

"_Shut up, Yuushi!"_

…

"_Good game, Oshitari-senpai, Mukahi-senpai."_

…

…

It was almost as if Yuushi could still feel that slight pain in his foot.

"Game won by Seigaku, five games to four," the referee called, as Kikumaru took another point with one of his trademark volleys.

_No. This is impossible…_

Momoshiro was serving now, and with the help of Kikumaru's net play, they were keeping a firm hold on the pace of the match.

"15-0."

_To lose twice, in the same week, to teams that are less experienced than we are…_

"30-0."

Yuushi glanced over at his partner, but Gakuto was too winded to do anything other than try to catch his breath. He looked back over the net, to where Momoshiro was serving again…

…

"_Yuushi…"_

"… _It's almost match point, you know."_

…

"40-0," the referee said.

_No!_

Yuushi had had enough of this.

"Not this time," the tensai mumbled to himself under his breath, getting ready to return the upcoming serve. He wasn't going to endure another humiliating loss, not for the second time in a week. He didn't care if his partner had been wiped off of the face of the earth. He could still make up the difference. He could cover for Gakuto. Wasn't that what he was always doing?

Wasn't that what he had chosen to do?

Well, no matter what, Oshitari Yuushi wasn't going to stand for this. He wasn't going to simply sit back and watch Seigaku pull off what should have been an impossible victory.

He was taking this point, and he was taking it by himself. And that was all there was to it.

Just like clockwork, Yuushi read Momoshiro's serve and hit a strong return, straight over the net. Of course, Momoshiro then hit it right back, and Yuushi found himself trying shot after shot, in places that should have been hard to cover. But every single time, it was Momoshiro who returned the ball.

_That Momoshiro… Does he think he can beat me? He's a complete amateur at doubles. He even said so himself…_

As the ball came flying back to his side of the net, the tensai glared at his second-year opponent.

_If you think you can do it, Momoshiro…_

_Just try!_

Yuushi executed a perfect drop shot, one that was out of Kikumaru's reach and impossible for Momoshiro to get, unless of course the younger boy had predicted the shot…

"It's too late for you to fight back."

Yuushi heard his earlier words to Momoshiro repeated right back to him, and he was left scrambling to get to the ball. So Momoshiro had read him, then. That fact was completely incomprehensible to Yuushi, but it didn't really matter… He still had the perfect shot planned in response…

"Next is a cross-court pass, huh?"

He heard his plan coming out of his opponent's mouth.

Yuushi was so shocked that he felt his arm tighten up on the return. Much to his dismay, he could already tell that he had lobbed the ball right into Momoshiro's side of the court. Of course, he knew what that meant.

"Oh, no…"

Sure enough, even at a difficult angle, the power player was able to pull off yet another smash. It wasn't the Dunk Smash, though, and Yuushi knew that he could still get to it. But there was a problem…

_Momoshiro… That guy delayed the timing of his jump…_

The late bounce that had resulted from the off-balance smash had thrown Yuushi's timing off as well. He could already tell that he was about to give Momoshiro another chance to smash the ball and end the point. True to form, it was all that the tensai could do to lob it back into the opponent's court.

_He'll take it… Of course, he'll take it…_

Even so, Yuushi was ready to return the ball. He had already successfully returned Momoshiro's Dunk Smash with the Higuma Otoshi. And he had the timing of the second-year's jump memorized by now.

Yes, he could return it. He had to return it.

Yuushi was ready to take the point.

…

"_So that was the Golden Pair, huh?" Yuushi remarked, watching the two Seigaku players shake hands with their opponents. They had just defeated a third-year doubles team that was known for using advanced formations, and they had defeated them by a score of 6-4 in the National Tournament. It was unthinkable, in a way, but Yuushi and Gakuto still weren't very impressed._

"_They're really nothing to brag about," Gakuto observed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sure, they make a good team, but they're not very good players."_

"_That's true enough," Yuushi agreed, smirking to himself. "If they came up against a doubles team with some actual talent, they would have a much more difficult time."_

_There was a slight pause, and then Gakuto looked up at Yuushi, a confident smile on his face._

"_Of course, if it were us, we would beat them. Wouldn't we, Yuushi?"_

"_Of course we would," Yuushi answered back, meeting his partner's eyes with his own confident smile._

…

"Game and match to Seigaku, six games to four."

There was cheering coming from Seigaku's side of the bleachers, but the only thing ringing in Yuushi's ears was silence.

… So that was it. They had lost.

Again.

It would have been easy to accept, if Momoshiro had simply pulled off a Dunk Smash so powerful that Yuushi had been overwhelmed and lost the point. It would have even been acceptable if Yuushi had made a mistake, and failed to pull off an effective Higuma Otoshi, or hit the ball out of bounds, or even set up the opponent for yet another smash…

Any of those things would have been acceptable.

What was unacceptable was that he had been tricked.

Momoshiro had jumped, like Yuushi predicted, but he had not smashed the ball. Instead, he had left the smash to Kikumaru, which had thrown Yuushi too off balance to even attempt to return the shot.

And that was the match. It was over.

In the end, Yuushi chose to ignore the way his opponents were dancing like idiots to celebrate their victory, even if it was a bit too over the top to be considered good sportsmanship. He would have expected Gakuto to be annoyed by it, but the acrobat was too tired to say anything. So instead, the two walked up to the net, getting the prerequisite handshake out of the way so they could return to the bleachers.

But as they started to walk off the court, Yuushi noticed something. Their coach, Sakaki, was no longer sitting on the bench, like he had been for the entire match.

It was then that Yuushi finally realized that he and Gakuto were in serious trouble.

Suddenly, Yuushi felt two very familiar eyes fixed on him, and he looked up to see Atobe staring down from the bleachers. There was a strange light in the arrogant captain's eyes, and it gleamed like cold silver, even there in the sweltering heat.

…

"_I wonder how long you can afford to keep playing around like this?"_

…

In that moment, Yuushi felt as though something important had fallen to the ground, and smashed into a thousand irreparable pieces.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_To think that the Oshitari-Mukahi pair lost…"_

Yuushi was standing with his partner in front of the bleachers, waiting for their coach to speak. He could already hear the way the underclassmen were whispering about the loss, and the looks that he could see his fellow Regulars giving him weren't exactly reassuring, either…

But the only thing that was truly unsettling to Yuushi was that ominous frown on their coach's face.

He should have thought about it before, but it had never even occurred to the tensai that he and Gakuto could be eliminated from the Regulars. Even so, they had just lost to Seigaku, and at Hyoutei, just one loss meant immediate removal from the starting lineup. That was Sakaki's policy, and he had followed it to the letter upon Shishido's humiliation in the Prefectural Tournament. In the end, it had only been by some strange miracle that Shishido had regained his spot, and Yuushi was almost positive that such mercy would be impossible to obtain again.

Of course, this could only mean one thing…

He and Gakuto were off the team.

Yuushi was still in shock at the mere thought. The idea of not playing on the Regulars, when both he and Gakuto had been practicing as part of the starting lineup for over a year, was almost incomprehensible to him. After all, they had always been Hyoutei's one set doubles team, but after just ten service games on a hot spring day, that team was about to be completely eradicated from the lineup.

That was it. That was it, for the entire season. One match, and it was all over.

They would never play doubles together in junior high again.

He felt cheated, really. Somehow, he felt as though it just wasn't fair. He even felt angry, even though he had no idea who he was angry with.

Really, Yuushi didn't know _what_ he was feeling, thinking about what this meant for both him and Gakuto. But for the first time he could remember, a loss had actually managed to make him feel like he'd been punched in the stomach. He'd always shrugged off the losses before, thinking that it didn't really matter, as long as he didn't make a big deal out of them. After all, at the end of the day, it was just tennis, wasn't it? Now, though, he knew what it felt like to hate to lose…

It was miserable.

"We're sorry."

Yuushi heard Gakuto apologizing to their coach, sounding almost meek. Of course, Hyoutei Regulars always spoke respectfully to Sakaki, but it sounded so unlike Gakuto's usual tone that the tensai was even more disconcerted.

"It's a complete defeat," he heard his voice add somewhat reluctantly, without even feeling himself speak the words.

"Oshitari."

The way the coach interrupted made his voice catch in his throat.

"It's a reasonable decision to try to confuse an opponent's timing on a smash. But when the person is already in motion to hit, you should still be able to block the shot. If you had prepared your defense carefully, you should have seen through his moves."

Suddenly, Yuushi did know what he was feeling. Disbelief. And not just a little anger. The mere idea of expecting him to be able to predict what had just happened…!

"That---" he felt himself begin, but he was interrupted a second time.

"Are you telling me otherwise?" came the stern reply.

Yuushi knew better than to continue. And as was usually the case, his logical side suppressed his emotions.

"No," he managed to choke out, replacing the objection with a more appropriate answer. "Right."

The coach didn't even indicate that he had heard Yuushi's sudden capitulation. Instead, he turned to Gakuto.

"Mukahi."

"Yes!"

Yuushi could tell that Gakuto was nervous, even before the coach began his searing lecture. Of course, that didn't deter Sakaki from verbally dissecting his partner's mistakes.

"Allocation of stamina is the first rule for game-making. Too full of yourself, like some second-tier players, huh?"

_Full of himself, like some second-tier player…? Is that what he thinks?_

Yuushi could feel a thousand words screaming through his mind in that moment, but his voice was stuck in his throat, and he knew better than to talk back to the coach. Even if it wasn't for himself, he knew better than that, even if it hardly mattered anymore…

The tensai didn't notice the way he was biting down hard on his bottom lip, but the faint pain was taking the edge off of the frustration of keeping silent.

Why was the knowledge of what was about to happen so painful?

Suddenly, though, the coach's words broke through the chaos of Yuushi's thoughts.

"If you play like a second-tier player in the next game, you guys won't be playing in the Nationals. Understand?"

Yuushi was too stunned to even manage a reply, and it seemed that Gakuto felt the same. The silence hovered in the air, like a blade that had never been released from the executioner's grip.

What had Sakaki just said?

_The next game? The Nationals…?_

Did that mean they were still on the Regulars? Why hadn't Sakaki told them that they had lost their spot on the lineup?

What was going on?

Once Yuushi's initial astonishment had subsided, he realized what this actually meant, both for their doubles partnership, and for the team as well. For the second time that month, this was an act of mercy from their coach, and it was only the second time in club history that he had broken his own rules. The tensai had no idea what Sakaki's motive was in doing so, but it seemed too dangerous to question it…

Even so, this knowledge was finally allowing Yuushi to think clearly again, as the tangle of emotions he had been feeling in his dread of the situation gradually started to subside.

So they hadn't been removed from the Regulars. They would still have another chance to redeem themselves…

This wasn't the end, after all.

Even with his usual habit of acting casual about losing, Yuushi knew that he should feel relieved. After all, no one in his right mind would be laid-back upon discovering that he was out for the season after only playing one official game. And he and Gakuto had just narrowly avoided that disaster…

Really, he should have been happy about it. He should have taken the opportunity to feel relieved that the worst had not occurred. And then he should have resumed his usual devil-may-care attitude, and pretended like the loss hadn't bothered him at all.

The strange thing was, he didn't feel happy about it. He didn't even feel relieved.

If anything, he just felt empty.

… Why?

Why had this loss actually bothered him?

The tensai walked over to the bench, taking a seat next to Gakuto, who was sitting motionless with a towel draped over his head. He picked up his own towel, absently rubbing it against his face, as his eyes stared down at the ground by his feet.

He could still feel the silence all around them, and then it slowly broke apart and gave way to a steadily increasing clamor. The crowd around them was already cheering again, at the urging of none other than their teammate, Shishido…

"_Hyoutei! Hyoutei! Hyoutei!"_

Yes, Shishido and Ootori were about to begin their match, in the first doubles spot.

It still stung, of course… After all, that was the spot that Yuushi and Gakuto had always been aiming for, ever since they first formed their partnership. But those cheers were so familiar, that the same stubborn Hyoutei pride begin to tug at Yuushi's heart. And suddenly, he was almost glad that it was Shishido and Ootori that were out there. He had the strangest feeling that those two would not lose this match, no matter how inexperienced they might have been as a doubles pair. It was completely illogical, but he was convinced of it.

Of course, it still stung that he and Gakuto had lost to them in the challenge matches. It did, but that was over now.

All that was left was to wait for his teammates to cover their loss and claim the victory for the team.

Because of course Hyoutei would win, no matter what. There was no way that they could lose.

Of course, they just couldn't lose…

Of course not.

Yuushi gripped his towel in his hands, as he lifted his head to watch the first doubles match. And as Ootori tossed the ball into the air, the second-year's long legs bending at the knees until his body was at the perfect angle to the ground, Yuushi was able to ignore the nagging feeling of dread that was still plaguing him.

The terrifying Scud Serve ripped right past Inui Sadaharu, Seigaku's infamous "data tennis" player, as easily as if the opponent wasn't even there.

No, there was just no way that Hyoutei could lose.

**-End of Chapter Four-**


	5. Miscalculated

**A/N: **Here's chapter five! I really apologize for the wait on this one… Unfortunately, I'm moving back to my dorm right now, so things are crazy, and this chapter was a little more difficult to write than I expected. Still, it's finally finished, and I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you so much for the reviews so far! And, as always: **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames, however, will be ignored.

**Warning:** Shonen-ai/slash/BL/yaoi/whatever-you-call-it.

--------------------------

**Chapter Five: Miscalculated**

"_Worth is not determined by success. Worth is determined by how you deal with failure."_

…

"_And so it is with great regret that I am prepared to relinquish my position as captain of Hyoutei's renowned tennis club," their senpai was saying. It was the end of Gakuto's second year as a member of the Hyoutei tennis team, and he had finally gotten to play in his first match as a Regular. But the excitement he had felt when he had first entered the court at that time couldn't compare to the excitement he was feeling now._

_It was finally happening. It had finally come._

_It was going to be their year._

_He glanced up at Yuushi, but his partner's eyes were fixed on the front of the room, where the captain was still talking. Even so, Gakuto thought he could detect the tiniest hint of anticipation in those deep blue eyes._

_But really, why shouldn't his partner be excited? For the upcoming season, they were going to be seniors, and it was already unmistakably clear who the Hyoutei Regulars would be for next year._

_And Gakuto already knew what that meant. Their lineup was going to be virtually unbeatable. There were even rumors already circulating that Hyoutei might actually manage to beat the invincible Rikkai for the Regional Championship in the coming year._

_Gakuto couldn't wait. And there was something else that was making him look forward to the season even more, despite the fact that the acrobat would never have admitted it out loud…_

"_I am, however, pleased to announce that my successor has already been chosen," the captain was saying. "And for the first time in the history of this club, the vote for the strongest and most capable candidate was not only predictable in its results, but also completely unanimous."_

_An excited murmur rippled through the crowd of members, and many of the Regulars already had knowing smiles on their faces._

"_Therefore, the new captain of Hyoutei's tennis club is none other than Atobe Keigo."_

_A cheer erupted from several of the lesser members of the club, and even Gakuto couldn't resist an ironic smile at the proud way Atobe was walking up to the front of the room, in acceptance of the position. It was just so him, really…_

"_Atobe! Atobe! Atobe!"_

_Hyoutei's new captain snapped his fingers, and the crowd was immediately silent._

"_Thank you, everyone," Atobe began, in his most self-assured tone of voice. "I am happy to accept the position as the leader of Hyoutei's illustrious tennis club. Of course, I'm eager to get to know all of you better in the coming year… And most importantly, I am looking forward to leading you all to the National Tournament."_

_There was another burst of cheering throughout the room, with Atobe obviously enjoying every minute of it._

_Gakuto almost laughed aloud, because really, it was too perfect. No matter how many times he had disagreed with Atobe as a friend, Gakuto knew he would make a perfect captain. And that perfect captain was right…_

_They were going to make it to Nationals. There was no doubt about that._

_It was going to be a perfect year._

…

The season was over.

Gakuto still couldn't believe it, but the unnerving silence that was hanging over them all only confirmed the truth. Despite all the training they had done throughout the year, despite their careful preparation and their outstanding abilities, despite probability and expectations and everything that should have confirmed an inevitable win for their team that morning…

Despite all of that…

Hyoutei had lost to Seigaku in the opening round of the Kantou Regionals.

And now, the season was over.

The acrobat grimaced at the recollection. Despite the roller coaster of emotions that they had all endured that day, the only thing he could feel now was the sting of their defeat. And it had truly been a roller coaster, bringing both teams to the very end of their lineup, with the entire match being decided by a final duel between the reserve players…

…

"_Game won by Seigaku, Kikumaru-Momoshiro pair, 6-4."_

…

"_Game won by Hyoutei, Shishido-Ootori pair, 6-3."_

…

"_Since neither side can continue the match, Singles Three is considered a No-Game."_

…

"_Game and match won by Seigaku's Fuji, 6-1."_

…

"_Game and match won by Hyoutei's Atobe, 7-6."_

…

"_Because the Seigaku versus Hyoutei matches ended 2-2 with one no-game, we will have one more singles match with the substitutes."_

…

"_Game and match. Seigaku's Echizen. Seigaku wins with a 3-2 and one no-game."_

…

And with that, it was over. Everything had come to an end with six matches on the first morning of the Kantou Regionals.

That was it. The third-years in Hyoutei's tennis club would be retiring. There would be no National Tournament. It was over.

Yes, it was over, and Gakuto already wanted to forget that the match had happened in the first place. At that moment, all he really wanted was to go home, take a cold shower, and collapse onto his bed to sleep through the rest of the awful day. But right now, it was completely impossible to forget about the match. It was impossible, because that reality was staring him in the face from every direction…

Yes, there was a reason that he couldn't forget.

The silent way that his teammates were filing onto the bus was the reason that he couldn't forget. The loss was written in all of their expressions, and Gakuto couldn't possibly ignore them. They were stunned, no, dismayed, even. Which was saying a hell of a lot, because they were Hyoutei's Regulars, after all. Nothing surprised them; nothing even bothered them. They didn't care. They were Hyoutei.

They didn't care. It was just tennis, after all.

Why should it bother them? It was just tennis. It was just the Nationals. It was just what their entire life had been about, for hours and hours of every single day for a whole year. It was every exhausting lap that they'd run during practice, every challenge match they had played as they fought tooth-and-nail for those coveted Regular spots…

And for what? For six matches on the first morning at the Kantou Regionals?

Damn that Seigaku.

Gakuto clenched his teeth, trying to will every single thought about the loss away from his mind. He climbed onto the bus and glanced around, in an attempt to decide where he was going to sit. His eyes wandered toward the back of the bus, where he and Yuushi had been sitting on the way to the tournament. Well, what did it matter, anyway? He would just sit there again…

It was then that Gakuto overheard the conversation that was unfolding in front of him.

"No, Jiroh, I really wouldn't know how to describe the mechanics of that Hakugei move… Probably because it completely defies the laws of general physics."

Atobe sounded almost drained, as he replied to Jiroh's question with nothing resembling his usual flair. The captain was sitting at the front of the bus, staring absently out the window and hardly paying attention to what he was saying. That, in and of itself, was nothing like Atobe Keigo, who was always focused on the task at hand and liked nothing more than to hear himself talk.

"Yeah, I guess it kind of does, doesn't it?… But that's what makes it really amazing, right?" Jiroh said, his eyes wide open. There was no smile on his face, but there was a distinct tone of admiration in his voice. "I mean, really, Fuji Shusuke is something else! And I actually got to play against him! I haven't been so excited since I saw Marui-kun play at Nationals last year…"

Listening to the way Jiroh was rambling on and on about his opponent was slowly starting to grate on Gakuto's nerves. He was trying to ignore it, because it was just Jiroh, and he was always like that, but really…

Did he have to go on and on like Seigaku had deserved to win?

"You know, you could just _shut up _already, Jiroh," he heard himself say, before he even realized that he had opened his mouth.

Jiroh stopped in mid-sentence and looked up from where he was sitting. Several of the other Regulars did the same, surprised at the way that Gakuto had snapped out the words.

"Uh… sorry about that, Gakuto," Jiroh managed, laughing a little. "I guess I was just excited…"

"Yeah, I know," Gakuto shot back, much too quickly. "You were excited, because Fuji Shusuke was just so _great_ and all, and there's nothing more exciting than losing _6-1 _in the opening round at Kantou…"

He'd already gone too far, of course. He knew that, but something in him couldn't stop.

"You probably think it was exciting that we lost the match, too!" he finished bitterly, glaring at his teammate, who looked almost stunned.

"Gakuto---!" The acrobat could hear Yuushi's voice somewhere nearby, as he tried to warn his partner to stop.

"Mukahi-senpai…" Even Ootori sounded concerned, despite the fact that it wasn't any of his business. But it was too late.

He couldn't undo it now. And there would be a consequence, of course.

"That is enough out of you, Mukahi Gakuto," a cold voice interrupted, instantly silencing all of the others. Atobe had risen to his feet, and he was now staring at Gakuto with those piercing eyes, those eyes that made him feel like he was shrinking into nothing.

"Ore-sama will hear no more of that kind of talk from _anyone_ on this team, unless such an individual wishes to be expelled from the club immediately. What just occurred was a _team_ loss, and we will endure it as a team, not as a childish rabble of petty individuals who are only interested in shifting the blame onto each other."

Nobody said a word in the pause that followed. Gakuto didn't even breathe.

And then the authoritative captain began again, as he glared even more pointedly at the perpetrator.

"As for you, Gakuto," he said in his frostiest tone, the one he never used unless he was truly, dangerously angry. "I don't want to hear another word out of you for the rest of this bus ride. Do you want to know _why_ I don't? I'll tell you why I don't. I don't want to hear another word out of you, because I find it both ironic and rather _repulsive_ that you are blaming someone elsefor our loss this morning."

It felt like Gakuto's heart was sinking lower and lower in his chest, as he stood listening to Atobe's rant. He knew what was coming by this point, and everything in him wished that he had just kept his damned mouth shut, but it was too late…

"I hope that you already know why it's ironic, but just in case you don't, I will enlighten you on the subject. It is ironic because if you want something to blame for what happened this morning, you don't have to look any further than your own shortcomings. You and Oshitari were the first to lose a match today, and that loss was due in a large part to your own incompetence."

Gakuto winced at that. But as bad as it was to be blamed individually for what had happened, he wasn't prepared for the accusation that followed it…

"What's more, your loss was a disgrace to Hyoutei and a disgrace to your already-faltering status as a doubles partnership," Atobe remarked bluntly, shooting a significant glance in Yuushi's direction. "I hope I don't need to remind you of your unsightly loss to Shishido and Ootori in the intramural matches, but it goes without saying that they also vastly outperformed you as a pair today. And as far as I'm concerned, they are the only ones on this bus who should feel proud of their performance."

Atobe's words had already hit a nerve, at least for Gakuto. It had been hard enough to watch Shishido and Ootori pull off such an impressive win in the doubles spot that he and Yuushi had always been aiming for. But to hear Atobe praising the two of them on top of it all was almost unbearable…

Gakuto completely forgot about that irritation, though, as Atobe finally brought his harsh lecture to a close.

"Even if it is too late to redeem yourselves, you should both examine today's humiliation carefully, and determine exactly why it is that you lost for the second time in one week." Here Atobe paused, if only to emphasize his final thoughts on the subject. "I hope that the two of you will consider why it is that you play doubles together in the first place, if this is all that we can expect from your partnership. Now go take a seat, and be quiet."

With that last biting piece of criticism, Atobe sighed almost imperceptibly and made a slight waving motion with his hand, indicating that Gakuto should go sit down if he didn't want to hear any further tirades.

Hardly feeling his feet moving beneath him, Gakuto quickly turned away and all but ran to the back of the bus. He didn't even notice the way the other Regulars seemed almost stunned at the way Atobe had just lectured him, and he hardly even heard the way Yuushi immediately approached the captain afterwards, even though his partner actually sounded angry about something…

"That was uncalled for, Atobe," Yuushi was murmuring heatedly, his voice sounding even lower than normal.

"Perhaps it was," Atobe replied coolly, as he sat back down. "But if that is indeed the case, than you both can just ignore it, like you always do."

"Don't take your frustration out on _us_, Atobe. Just because your match didn't go the way you expected it to---"

"Take a _seat_, Oshitari," Atobe interrupted, sounded strangely furious about something.

Yuushi's eyes flashed for a brief moment, but he held his tongue and started making his way to the back of the bus.

If Gakuto had really been paying attention, he might have noticed that there was something strange about what had just happened. The strange part was that Atobe and Yuushi were visibly angry in the first place… Both of them were known for never losing their cool, even in the most frustrating situations, and even if something was irritating them, they never showed it in front of people.

But now, they weren't making any effort to hide it, which showed that something was really off in the Hyoutei Regulars' private universe.

Still, even though Gakuto might have normally taken notice of this strange phenomenon, he found himself hardly even thinking about it. Instead, he couldn't get his mind off of the last thing that Atobe had said to him…

…

"_This is all that we can expect from your partnership."_

…

What did Atobe mean by that, anyway? Was he trying to say that failure was all there was to them? That they were just a couple of inferior doubles players who would be _expected_ to lose in a second doubles match in the Kantou tournament?

How could Atobe even imply that their loss had been anything more than a shocking upset? How _dare_ he say such a thing?

Of course, Gakuto knew that he was to blame for the way the match had fallen apart at the end. His stamina problem had caused too many difficulties for them not to lose. But that unfortunate detail didn't have anything to do with their abilities as a doubles team. Atobe should have known that.

After all, they were Hyoutei's only set doubles partnership, or at least they had been, up until just a week ago. They had been practicing together for years, and they knew more about doubles than Shishido and Ootori ever would. They weren't just some makeshift pair who didn't know what they were doing. They had worked hard together, and they…

Well, they had lost, so it didn't matter now.

Gakuto buried his head in his arms, not even noticing when Yuushi sat down near him. If he had, he might have noticed the way that his partner was looking at him, with some unreadable emotion hidden behind his glasses.

But Gakuto never saw it, and he never said a word to Yuushi for the rest of that awful day.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_So, you two want to play doubles together? Are you sure about that?"_

…

Gakuto collapsed right onto his bed, completely exhausted. It had been a long bus ride home, and a long walk back to his house. And the match had been tiring enough, even without all of that on top of it. Not to mention all of the nerve-wracking stares he had been getting from his teammates, and the horrible silence that had lingered over them all for the entire ride home, that silence that had felt like a heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders…

In all honesty, by the time the bus ride was over, Gakuto had wanted nothing more than to get out of there and away from his teammates. If he had only had the energy, he would have run all the way home.

At least now he was home, where he didn't have to think about it.

About his mistakes, about the loss, about what Atobe had said…

Gakuto rolled over onto his back and glared at the ceiling, nearly growling in frustration.

Why _was_ he still thinking about it?

It wasn't like it really mattered. After all, he and Yuushi had lost the match, and they weren't going to get a chance to make up for it. There was no point in dwelling on their mistakes. The tennis season was over now, at least for Hyoutei, and the third-years would all be retiring from the club…

_Retiring_.

That word alone was enough to give Gakuto that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was so sudden, and it just sounded so _final_… The third-years in the Hyoutei tennis club wouldn't be a team anymore. They would just be classmates and acquaintances again. It seemed so strange to Gakuto, because until now, they had always been members of the tennis club year-round. There had always been something to work for, whether it was just trying to make the team or preparing for the tournament season next year. Now, there was…

Well, there was nothing. Tennis was over.

Of course, it wasn't the end of the world. It was just tennis.

… But then why did it feel so _awful_?

Gakuto pressed his hands to his forehead, as though he was trying to force all of the thoughts about that morning out of his mind. He didn't want to think about what had happened. He just _didn't_… It wouldn't do any good…

…

"_Even if it is too late to redeem yourselves, you should both examine today's humiliation carefully."_

…

"Why should we?" Gakuto snapped bitterly at the ceiling. "What's the freakin' _point_, Atobe? We lost, and there's nothing we can do about it!"

Gakuto sat up, grimacing at how sore his legs felt. He could tell they were going to hurt even worse in the morning, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Peeling off his socks, he rolled his ankles a few times to make sure they weren't stiff.

"Anyway, it's not like I know why we lost," Gakuto added in a low voice, as he started stretching out his legs in an attempt to keep his muscles from tightening up.

It was a true statement, of course. Gakuto _didn't_ know why he and Yuushi had lost the match. To him, it just didn't make any sense. There was no reason why Kikumaru and Momoshiro should have won against them, except maybe because of a few clever tricks and a lot of luck.

Of course, Atobe was implying that there was more to it than that. Which didn't make any sense at all.

… Did it?

…

"_It goes without saying that Shishido and Ootori vastly outperformed you as a pair."_

…

The acrobat grimaced in disgust.

It was putting it lightly, to say that Gakuto resented the fact that Shishido and Ootori had managed to pull off a win that morning. After all, it was bad enough that they had managed to beat him and Yuushi in the challenge match only a few days before. But the fact that they had pulled off such an impressive win against Seigaku was even worse. Logically, they should have lost that round. They were a new doubles pair, and their opponents had been very talented players, the type that probably could have beaten them in a singles match.

But they had won anyway.

It was easy to dismiss the win from two days ago. It could have been an upset, some kind of mistake, maybe an incredible stroke of luck…

But because of the win against Seigaku, Shishido and Ootori were no longer a doubles pair that had gotten lucky.

They were a genuinely good doubles pair. No, they were even more than that…

They were a perfect combination.

Frowning angrily, Gakuto unzipped his jacket and yanked it off, throwing it onto the floor by his closet.

Why were they a perfect combination, anyway? It didn't make any sense! It wasn't like their abilities seemed particularly well-matched, at least not in any special way. And up until that week, Gakuto had never even noticed them acknowledging each other's existence, much less talking together…

…

"_Hey, Shishido-san? … I had fun playing doubles with you today."_

"_Yeah, it was fun, wasn't it?"_

…

Gakuto tried to ignore the knot that was forming in his stomach. He didn't know why they were such a good team, but somehow, he couldn't deny it anymore…

They were a better doubles team than he and Yuushi were.

Maybe that was why it bothered him so much. After all, it just wasn't _fair_. He and Yuushi had been playing doubles together almost as long as they had been in the tennis club. They had worked hard, and learned everything about doubles formations and doubles strategy…

So why had they never made it to the first doubles spot?

Surely it wasn't because of what Gakuto had overheard in the locker room. The very thought of it made him shudder. But it was stupid, to think that the strange relationship that Shishido and Ootori seemed to have would help them on the tennis court. It didn't even have anything to do with tennis, at least not _really_, and anyway…

And anyway, it made Gakuto uncomfortable just thinking about it.

Trying to ignore the way his face was getting hot, Gakuto mumbled to himself, "It's just plain _stupid_, that's all. That's not what doubles partners are supposed to be like… That's not what Yuushi and I are like!"

He couldn't see it, but he could feel himself blushing even redder.

The truth was that ever since he had overhead that particular conversation, it had felt awkward to even be around his partner. Of course, the two of them weren't like that at all. He and Yuushi were just friends, more like teammates than friends, even. But the mere knowledge that there happened to be a doubles pair at Hyoutei that _was_ like that…

Well, it sickened him.

Maybe it even scared him.

… Why?

Gakuto found himself remembering the match that they had just lost. He could remember how frustrated he had felt, when he knew that they were falling behind, and how he had suddenly been so worried that they were going to lose. And he could remember the sound of Yuushi's deep voice, ringing in his ears, the one that was always saying the same thing…

"_Leave it to me, Gakuto."_

Gakuto shivered a little, getting up from his bed and walking over to his closet. After picking up his jacket and safely hanging it on the rack, he rummaged through his other clothes, trying to find something more comfortable to wear.

It had always been that way, Gakuto thought to himself. They always played doubles like that, with Gakuto showing off all of his flashiest moves, and then with Yuushi covering up all of the holes that he had made. Gakuto was always relying on Yuushi, and it went without saying that Yuushi was a better tennis player than he was.

Of course, Gakuto knew that Yuushi was a much better player than he was…

Suddenly, Gakuto realized that he didn't know why Yuushi played doubles with him in the first place.

He was a much better player than Gakuto was, after all, and everyone knew that. He was always getting complimented on his skills, and Atobe even called him a genius. If Yuushi played singles, he might have been contending with Jiroh for the second singles spot, just below Atobe's level. He was an intimidating singles player already, but he never really tried in his singles matches. If he had ever been forced to really compete, he would have been a formidable opponent, maybe even a challenge for someone like Atobe.

So why did they play doubles together, anyway?

It was with a considerable amount of shock that Gakuto realized that he didn't remember why.

…

"_I hope that the two of you will consider why it is that you play doubles together in the first place."_

…

When had they decided to play doubles together, anyway?

It had been a few years ago. Gakuto knew that much. It had been in their first year of middle school, when they had just started playing practice matches against each other to get used to the feeling of a real game.

But Gakuto couldn't remember why they had decided to play doubles together.

He had the strangest feeling that there had been something odd about it, like it hadn't just been a coincidence or a random idea…

But what had been odd about it?

Gakuto pulled a red t-shirt over his head, shaking the hair out of his face. He then started browsing through the laundry at the bottom of his closet, trying to find an extra pair of gym shorts.

Even if he couldn't remember exactly why they played doubles together, Gakuto knew that they had both consented to it. It wasn't like Yuushi had been forced to play doubles… He had never even mentioned wanting to play singles. It was almost like he just accepted the situation, like he didn't care enough to change it. For the first time in their partnership, Gakuto wondered why. It didn't really make sense.

Maybe it didn't make sense that Shishido and Ootori were a perfect doubles pair. But it didn't make sense that Yuushi played doubles, either.

So why _did_ they play doubles together?

For some reason, it bothered Gakuto that he didn't know the answer.

Still frowning to himself, Gakuto walked over to his tennis bag and started taking out some of the personal things he had brought along for the bus ride. He set his CD player and his textbooks down on top of his desk, hardly giving them a second glance, and started searching in his bag again.

But then his hand brushed against something that he'd forgotten about, and he paused.

Slowly, he took out his notebook, the one with all of his notes for geometry in it. And as his eyes scanned over the notes, some written in his tiny, simple penmanship and some in Yuushi's scrawling, sweeping handwriting…

He realized something.

…

"_Simply declaring that the picture looks like an equilateral triangle does not actually prove that it's an equilateral triangle."_

…

The notebook slipped from his hands and fell to the floor, with a crinkling crash.

Now Gakuto knew why it bothered him.

There wasn't a reason.

He couldn't remember why they had originally decided to play doubles, but there was no particular reason that they should be playing together. Over time, they had become a decent partnership by becoming familiar with doubles techniques and practicing as a pair. Their abilities were fairly well-matched, and there was certainly a reason for Gakuto to be restricted to playing doubles… His moves were too flashy to use in singles matches. The acrobat had always known that much.

But the truth was that there had never been a reason for Yuushi to be his partner, except that he was good enough to cover up Gakuto's mistakes.

And because there wasn't a reason for them to play together, at least not a reason that Gakuto knew about…

Because of that, they weren't really a doubles team at all.

Sure, they played like a doubles team… Some people even said that their style was like the Golden Pair, despite the fact that they had never shared that famous partnership's success. And they knew all about doubles, about techniques and formations and sign play… Yes, they had even won their share of matches, and they had been on the Hyoutei Regulars for over a year, which proved that they were competent enough to get by.

But at the end of the day, were they any better than a makeshift doubles pair of comparable skill?

If Kikumaru and Momoshiro had beaten them, apparently not.

…

"_If I can see that it's supposed to be equal on all three sides, why can't I just say it's equal and be done with it?"_

…

That was why they had lost twice in the same week, to doubles pairs that hardly even knew what they were doing. They were an uneven partnership. And what was worse, they were an uneven partnership that was playing together because… they just were.

If that was all that they were, then it was no wonder that they had reached their limit as a pair. The only wonder was that it hadn't happened sooner.

They weren't a perfect combination. They were just… a combination.

Nothing more.

Gakuto just sat there on the floor, staring into space. He didn't even touch the notebook, which still lay forgotten on the carpet.

Why hadn't he realized all of this sooner?

Slowly, the acrobat rose to his feet again, but he immediately felt that strange sensation of losing his balance, like he had landed one of his flips badly or tripped over something while he was walking…

…

"_This is all that we can expect from your partnership."_

…

Stumbling across the room, he reached out and flicked off the light switch. The faint light of sunset was still glowing behind his curtains, but Gakuto ignored it, as he walked back to his bed and collapsed onto his mattress.

He closed his eyes, trying not to think about the dizzy feeling that was swirling somewhere around his head, making him feel almost sick to his stomach…

He had never thought about it before, but it made sense. He and Yuushi just happened to play doubles together. It was like tying your shoes… it wasn't something you thought about, and it was just tennis, after all… Of course they weren't a perfect combination. And of course they had lost. It would have happened sooner or later, and it made sense to Gakuto now. Why wouldn't it make sense? Anyway, it didn't matter, because they would probably never play doubles together again. The season was over, and it didn't matter now. It still made sense, though.

…

"_It's just about learning to think logically. That's all."_

…

Yes, it made perfect sense.

What didn't make sense was how it made Gakuto feel absolutely miserable.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_And so now it's time for the third-years to give up their Regular spots, and the second and first-years will begin training for the coming season."_

…

Gakuto frowned irritably at the piece of paper that had just been placed on his desk.

70 percent.

It was better than failing, but he really needed to start scoring better on his math tests, if he didn't want to be scolded by his parents when report cards were sent out. The last thing he needed was another lecture about how he wasn't "applying himself," especially not when he'd actually studied for the damn thing.

Somehow, though, he still just didn't get it.

"Now, class," the teacher was saying, with a slightly displeased expression on his face. "I was fairly disappointed with your scores on this particular test. We've been spending a lot of time on the subject, and I want to make sure that you understand it before we move on."

He turned around and picked up a piece of chalk. And then he quickly began writing something on the board…

_X plus two equals three._

Gakuto raised his eyebrows at the simple equation. What was the teacher trying to say by reverting back to algebra? This was geometry. And anyway, everybody knew the answer to that. What was the point?

"This, of course, is a simple algebraic equation," the teacher began, turning back to his rather perplexed students. "Can anyone tell me what makes it different from basic arithmetic?"

A girl hesitantly raised her hand, and the teacher nodded.

"Because there's an unknown?" she offered quietly.

Gakuto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Well, obviously. Everybody knew that.

"Exactly," the teacher confirmed with another nod. "And can anyone tell me how you solve for the unknown?"

A guy wearing glasses quickly raised his hand, and answered confidently, "You solve the unknown by subtracting the two from both sides of the equation."

"Why?" the teacher prodded.

"Uh… why?" the boy repeated, looking confused. "Because that leaves the unknown by itself?"

"Yes, but _why_? Why do you want the unknown by itself?" the teacher persisted, staring very intently at his students. But the boy was silent, and for a moment, no one said a word.

As for Gakuto, he was completely lost. And as far as he was concerned, he couldn't make any sense of what the teacher was apparently getting at.

_Why? Because that's how you solve an algebraic equation! What does it matter, why? And what the hell does this have to do with geometry?_

Finally, the girl who had answered the first question raised her hand again.

The teacher nodded, and she took a deep breath before answering in a clear voice…

"Because it proves the identity of the unknown."

"Precisely," the teacher affirmed, turning back to the board and drawing an equilateral triangle.

"Now, when it comes to proofs, you are doing nothing more than regarding the triangle as the unknown and attempting to prove its identity." The teacher underlined the geometrical figure for emphasis. "_This_ is your unknown. Strictly speaking, there is no arithmetic process for finding an unknown. In the case of the algebraic equation, you are simply using what is given to you to prove the unknown's identity. Additionally, you are only using what is necessary to prove that your final answer is correct. And that is how you must use the geometrical definitions you have studied, to prove the identity of this geometrical unknown."

The teacher had barely finished his train of thought, before he was interrupted by the bell. Almost instantly, the sound of papers rustling and students scrambling for their books pervaded the classroom. The teacher just sighed.

"Well, that's all for today," he concluded. "We'll have one more review session on proofs tomorrow, and then we'll be moving on to the next chapter."

Gakuto breathed a sigh of relief. Any change was a welcome one, as long as they wouldn't be doing proofs anymore.

He stood up from his desk, shoving his notebook back into his schoolbag. But for a split second, he panicked.

Where was his tennis bag?

…

Of course, it didn't take long for him to remember where it was, as a fresh wave of disappointment swept over him. His tennis bag was sitting in his room at home. He didn't need to bring it to school anymore.

Yes, the third-years had already retired. The meeting had been held yesterday, the one where their coach had announced that the senior players would be giving up their places on the Regulars. That way, the second-years and first-years could start competing for the open spots. Since it was still so early in the year, however, there would be no immediate vote for the new captain. Instead, the time that they spent on training would help the club members determine the best candidate for the position. Additionally, the third-years would still spend a few days a week helping the underclassmen with drill practice. So the lockers in the Regulars' clubroom still hadn't been cleared out, and Atobe didn't have an official successor…

But those were just minor details. It was still over.

And it was still hard for Gakuto to believe it.

Reluctantly, Gakuto picked up his schoolbag and slung it over one shoulder, making his way out of the classroom. The hallway was buzzing with all kinds of chattering voices, but Gakuto hardly paid any attention to the chaos as he headed toward his locker.

It wasn't like it mattered, after all. It was time to go home.

Balancing carefully on one leg at a time, Gakuto removed the soft shoes that students were required to wear indoors and set them back inside his locker. Just as carefully, Gakuto slipped on his own loafers, first the right foot, then his left…

"Long time, no see, Gakuto."

Gakuto thought that he might have a heart attack.

"Y-Yuushi!" he sputtered, grabbing on the locker door to keep from falling down. "Don't _scare_ me like that!"

Gakuto couldn't quite look his partner in the face, but he knew by his voice that he had an amused smirk on his mouth.

"I apologize, Gakuto," he offered calmly. "I keep forgetting you're so high-strung."

"Do not," the acrobat mumbled under his breath. "You just like watching me freak out…"

"What was that, Gakuto?" Yuushi began, raising an eyebrow. But the shorter boy interrupted him, attempting to change the subject.

"What do you mean, 'long time no see,' anyway? We just saw each other yesterday at practice." Gakuto tossed his head and slammed the locker shut.

"True. I saw _you_ at practice, in any case. But the way you were completely ignoring my existence does make me wonder whether you saw _me_."

Gakuto could feel his face getting hot again, and it irritated him to no end.

_Dammit! Why can't I stop blushing?_

"I saw you," he snapped, lowering his head and trying to walk past his partner.

To his surprise, Yuushi's hand immediately grabbed onto his shoulder, and Gakuto froze. Yuushi was holding onto him firmly, but not so roughly that Gakuto couldn't have slipped out of his grasp…

But somehow, Gakuto couldn't move.

"I'm not stupid, you know," Yuushi was saying, right next to his partner's ear. That low voice of his was sending chills up and down Gakuto's spine…

"I know you're ignoring me, and I came to ask you what I did wrong this time," the tensai concluded, staring intently at his teammate.

Gakuto's heart was pounding so hard that he could hear it in his own ears.

"It's… it's just that…" He stammered out a few attempts at a reply, and was shocked at how small his own voice sounded, like he was barely squeaking out the words.

_What is **wrong** with me?_

"It's _nothing_!" he finally blurted out, furious with himself. "You didn't do anything! Maybe I just want to be left alone!"

"Gakuto…"

That knowing voice was almost too much for him, but the acrobat clenched his teeth and wrenched himself out of Yuushi's grasp.

"You know, Yuushi, not every little stupid thing is about _you_," Gakuto muttered, barely loud enough for his partner to hear him. And then he almost shouted his conclusion, as he stomped out of the locker bay. "Now leave me alone!"

He didn't look back, of course. Not even once. But if he had…

He might have been surprised by the look in his partner's eyes.

"Stupid Yuushi," Gakuto was mumbling as he marched down the hallway. "Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Yuushi…"

As he continued walked quickly toward the exit, he thought he heard two voices that had become all too familiar to him lately. But it must have been his imagination…

It was with disgust that he realized that he wasn't imagining it.

"Oh, hey, Choutarou. What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would wait for you, Shishido-san."

Gakuto saw both of his teammates out of the corner of his eye, standing next to a classroom door.

"Oh… Well, thanks," Shishido said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry for making you wait and all… Our teacher talks too much."

"It's no problem, Shishido-san."

What with the way Ootori was smiling, the tall second-year may as well have had a halo hovering above his head.

It was with something like shock that Gakuto realized that Shishido was blushing, of all things. He was so stunned that he didn't even feel himself stop walking.

"Right… So, do you want a hitting partner at practice today?" Shishido offered after a moment, taking his hat out of his bag and putting it on his head.

"I would really like that, Shishido-san," Ootori replied, in a voice that was warmer than sunshine. "But do you think Coach will mind?"

"Nah," and the older boy shrugged. "I'll just ask him. I'm sure he won't care."

"Thank you very much, Shishido-san," Ootori said, sounding genuinely excited. He even bowed a little, probably out of habit more than anything else. "I really appreciate it!"

But Shishido just shook his head, and took his cap off again, placing it on Ootori's bowed head. The taller boy blinked in surprise, and Shishido laughed aloud.

"You're too much, you know that?" He shook his head again. "Anyway, it's no big deal. It's the least I can do for you."

And the third-year put his hand on the blue cap, rubbing it against Ootori's hair.

"You know, it looks good on you."

"Shishido-san!"

Now they were both laughing.

And Gakuto couldn't decide whether to groan, roll his eyes, or just ignore the pleasant way that their laughter melted together into one harmonious sound.

It only took a moment for him to decide on the last course of action, and he began walking away again, only to hear Ootori suddenly call out after him…

"Oh, Mukahi-senpai! I didn't see you standing there! Is something wrong?"

But Gakuto never even responded. He shoved his arms against the door, storming out of the exit and into the courtyard.

"What in the world is _his_ problem?"

"Shishido-san…"

Gakuto clenched his teeth, trying not to think. He didn't want to think about any of this. He didn't understand it, and anyway, it didn't really matter. He could just ignore it… He could ignore them, he could ignore him, he could ignore _everything_…

…

"_I know you're ignoring me, Gakuto."_

…

He could ignore the simple math that was staring him in the face.

_One plus two equals three._

_Shishido plus Ootori equals a perfect combination._

_Gakuto plus Yuushi equals unknown._

…

"_There is no arithmetic process for finding an unknown."_

**-End of Chapter Five-**


	6. Dissolved in Solution

**A/N: **Ugh, once again, this chapter took much longer to write than I would have liked, mostly because of my first week back at college, which was insanely busy. Anyway, chapter six is finally done! This time, there are a few footnotes at the end of the chapter that will answer some questions that people might have. This one goes out to all my wonderful reviewers! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it. And hopefully the next chapter will come out much more quickly than this one did. As always: **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames, however, will be ignored.

**Warning:** Shonen-ai/slash/BL/yaoi/whatever-you-call-it.

--------------------------

**Chapter Six: Dissolved in Solution**

"_To truly love someone is to forget entirely about your own self-interest."_

…

"I'm home," Yuushi called out, stepping into the front hallway of his house. He started taking off his shoes in an almost reluctant manner, not even expecting a reply to his usual greeting… Oddly enough, however, he did get a response that afternoon, for the first time in weeks.

"Welcome home, little brother," said a sweet, if strangely low, voice. The comment was accompanied by a series of quiet footsteps, and the sudden appearance of his sister as she came around the corner. She was smiling, but in the instant that she saw her younger brother, the smile turned into a concerned frown.

"Is something wrong, Yuushi?"

Yuushi looked up in surprise, after removing his second shoe. "What makes you say that?"

She said nothing for a moment, simply gazing at Yuushi's face. But then she shrugged, just slightly, and smiled again.

"It's nothing. How was your day at school? Horribly dull, I assume," she guessed with an ironic smirk. If there was one thing that was understood between the Oshitari family siblings, it was that particular opinion… School was one of those boring, useless things that people just had to tolerate until graduation.

"Of course," Yuushi returned, with a slight smirk of his own. "And I see that you've emerged from your den of seclusion. To what occasion do we owe this great honor, Oneesan?"

"To _this_," was her instant reply, as she shoved an enormous pile of paper into her younger brother's arms. "I'm in the middle of editing the love scene. It's absolutely _dreadful_… I cringed when I read over it last night. So I'm re-thinking the whole chapter, and I desperately need your opinion."

"_My_ opinion?" Yuushi raised his eyebrows at that, trying to get a firm grasp on the huge stack he was holding.

"Yes, your opinion." His sister laughed a little, obviously finding some humor in the fact that her brother apparently thought the request was incomprehensible. "This is your field of expertise, isn't it? Besides, I'm desperate for a reader's opinion, and I know you'll be honest with me. Okaasan thinks everything that I write is perfect beyond reason, and Otoosan just scans everything and then asks what I intend to actually do with my life."

Yuushi chuckled a little at that remark, mostly because it was true. He glanced back down at the mass of paper, wondering how many pages this "dreadful love scene" happened to be.

"Well, I suppose I could take a look at it. But I'm not really an expert, you know… I'm just an observer."

"Close enough. In any case, you know more about popular portrayals of romance than anyone else I'm likely to find… Anyway, most experts _are_ just observers," she pointed out, looking intently into her brother's eyes, as though she was searching for something in them that was completely off-topic.

"But doesn't that mean they aren't really experts?" Yuushi heard himself say. "They should experience something before they claim to be an expert on it."

There was a brief moment of silence, as Yuushi just stood there, unaware of the knowing look in his sister's eyes. And then she smiled, a little softly.

"Well, experts are only concerned with _knowing_ something, aren't they? People who are actually out experiencing it don't waste their time like that. They just _feel_ it, and that's all there is to it. Which goes to show how useful all those experts really are, I suppose." She laughed almost carelessly, tucking a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

"When you think about it, knowledge is completely useless when it comes to passion," she concluded, very calmly. "Anyway, take your time with the reading. The love scene starts on page 125. And thank you for helping me out, little brother."

She lifted herself up onto her toes, giving her brother a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing again. Yuushi thumbed through the pages for a moment, folding the corner of the page his sister had mentioned so that he could find it later. And then he paused.

What had his sister been trying to tell him?

Of course, everything that she had said to him had seemed on-topic at the time. But she had been using that one particular tone when she said it… It was a tone that she only used when she meant something completely different from what she was saying, something she would only hint at but not really explain. It was irritating sometimes, but Yuushi had to admit that he wasn't exactly a straightforward person himself, so he couldn't complain.

And so now he was left wondering what she could have been trying to say, in between all the words.

He glanced at the manuscript again, as he started making his way up the stairs to his room. It was the current version of his sister's most ambitious project yet, a novel that she insisted was going to shock the literary community, once she managed to "make all the thoughts come out properly on paper." Strangely enough, though, it didn't have a title, which didn't quite make sense to Yuushi. It seemed to him that a title would have been something that she should have figured out by now. But his sister would only shrug and say that it would "come in time," as though it was nothing more than an insignificant detail.

As he walked into his bedroom, he started flipping through the first few pages. But he barely noticed any of the words, and for the moment, he didn't really have the attention span to read them. With a quiet sigh, he dropped the manuscript onto the desk, and then he set down his schoolbag on the floor.

What was bothering him, anyway?

…

"_You know, Yuushi, not every little stupid thing is about **you**."_

…

It was ridiculous, really, that Gakuto's behavior should be annoying him this much. Most of the time, Gakuto's tantrums just amused him… At the very least, they never fazed him, and they certainly didn't bother him. Gakuto was, after all, unpredictable. Yuushi always expected his partner to be irrational, and to be terrible at articulating what was troubling him, and to be randomly disagreeable for no apparent reason…

What Yuushi never expected was for it to annoy him.

It was one thing, after all, to be ignored by Gakuto when he knew what he had done wrong. When Gakuto had stepped on his foot over a week ago, Yuushi had already known the nature of his offense, and he had apologized for it the very next day. But it was something else entirely, to have absolutely no idea why Gakuto was angry at him, and to be ignored for days on end.

The shocking thing about it was that Gakuto had actually been avoiding him for so long. Of course, Gakuto was unpredictable, and because of this, he could get angry for no particular reason at all. But in those cases, it usually took him only a few hours to get over it. It certainly didn't take him over a week to return to normal.

No, this wasn't some strange mood swing. Something was really wrong this time.

… But what?

Yuushi couldn't help remembering that Gakuto hadn't spoken to him since the first day of the Regional Tournament. Was that what had been bothering his partner? Of course, it had been a bitter pill for them all to swallow… Hyoutei had lost the match to Seigaku, and their team was eliminated from the Kantou Regionals in the very first round. Which meant, of course, that they would not be going to the National Tournament, and they had all been forced to retire from their Regular positions. Tennis season was over, and the third-years had already played their last matches in junior high. It was frustrating, of course, and Gakuto wasn't the only one on the team who had been acting strangely, but…

Was that really all there was to it?

Somehow, Yuushi had a feeling that there was something else.

…

"_Your loss was a disgrace to Hyoutei and a disgrace to your already-faltering status as a doubles partnership."_

…

Yuushi frowned, looking almost angry, as he started to remove his necktie. He wouldn't have blamed Gakuto if he was still upset about Atobe's verbal explosion on the bus. Hell, it had actually managed to annoy _him_, and he had even done something idiotic in response, by talking back to Atobe in front of the whole team. It hadn't done any good, of course, but he had been too irritated by that day's events to hold his tongue…

Which in and of itself, was a bizarre reality.

Why had he been so frustrated that day, anyway? It went without saying that it wasn't a pleasant feeling to lose in the opening round at the Kantou Tournament. But he and Gakuto had lost before, and Hyoutei had never been guaranteed a spot at Nationals. So, in the end, it was still just tennis, the sport that they had been playing together for every month of the past three years. Yes, it was a hard blow to take, but it was still just a sport. It was just a club. It was just a hobby, in fact; it was something that Yuushi only did because he _could_. And so a loss had never bothered him, never discouraged him, never even fazed him…

Until that day at the Kantou Tournament.

For that one day, he had actually been frustrated by a loss. If it had only been mere frustration, it might not have been so strange, but it hadn't ended there, either… He had been tempted to talk back to the coach afterwards, and he had even snapped at Atobe on the bus, just for saying, in far too many words, something that wasn't exactly untrue.

…

"_Even if it is too late to redeem yourselves, you should both examine today's humiliation carefully, and determine exactly why it is that you lost for the second time in one week."_

…

For the first time that Yuushi could even remember, he had felt genuinely offended by something that had been said. After all, it was one thing to be lecturing Gakuto about not having enough stamina, even if the accusation that he "was too full of himself" seemed ridiculous to Yuushi… Of course Gakuto was full of himself. _Everyone_ on Hyoutei was full of themselves. And even if that had been the coach's criticism, it was still pointless to say it, because they were Hyoutei. Who wouldn't be full of themselves after being followed constantly by a two-hundred-person entourage who were there for no other reason than to scream your name during tennis matches?

But even so, Yuushi had seen that much coming. It was strange, that it annoyed him when it wasn't even his business, but he had been prepared for it. He expected their mistakes to be criticized, and harshly, too.

What he hadn't expected, though, was Atobe's last scathing remark, amid that barrage of words that their captain had recklessly unleashed on his hapless partner.

…

"_I hope that the two of you will consider why it is that you play doubles together in the first place, if this is all that we can expect from your partnership."_

…

Yuushi actually grimaced, as he unbuttoned his collared shirt and stripped it off. Not only had that comment been out of line, even for someone like Atobe, but it had touched on something that Yuushi had considered a forbidden topic for over a year now. And it was a topic that Atobe, of all people, should have known was forbidden.

He should have understood that much. He had been there, after all.

…

"_Are you really sure that you don't want to play singles, Oshitari?"_

"_Coach, my final answer is yes, and with all due respect, I don't want to be asked that question again. I have absolutely no interest in playing singles."_

…

Yuushi frowned again, putting a hand up to the side of his face and carefully removing his glasses. He walked over to his dresser and set them down, taking one last look at them lying there, folded up securely next to his alarm clock. And then he smiled, but it was a smile with no mirth in it, only irony.

"Atobe, you bastard," he muttered at last to the empty room. "You know why we play doubles together. _You_, of all people---!"

And he laughed, but it was only a bitter sort of chuckle.

Of course, he remembered why he and Gakuto played doubles together. He remembered that day in seventh grade like it was yesterday. He remembered every single word that had been said, in those squeaky, prepubescent voices, before they had changed into the lower tone that they were now. He could still see it, even, a perfect picture of those small twelve-year-olds who had far too much confidence in their own abilities and were always talking too big for their gym shorts. He didn't know why, but he couldn't forget it, somehow.

And it was the reason that he and Gakuto played doubles.

…

"_You think **that's** something to brag about? Well, watch this!"_

_Oshitari Yuushi was watching with amusement, as two of his classmates were battling it out on one of the tennis courts during practice. Of course, they were breaking the rules… The first-years were supposed to be doing drills, not competing with each other. And Yuushi was secretly looking forward to hearing the way their extremely strict coach was going to yell at them._

_But for now, it was more than a little interesting to watch._

_It was Yuushi's first day at tennis practice, after all, and he certainly hadn't expected it to be so… well, **odd**. He had played tennis before, of course. When he had been in elementary school, he had even played in some junior tournaments before his family had moved to the Tokyo area. His cousin played, too, so it had almost been a family sport in some ways. But since the move, he had hardly even picked up a racquet._

_Upon entering junior high school at Hyoutei Gakuen, however, Yuushi had heard rumors that the tennis club was supposed to be exceptionally good. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he had decided to check it out, and he had discovered the rumors to be completely true. Hyoutei was a very good tennis club. The coach had iron-fisted authority over all the members, who numbered in the hundreds, and the much-lauded Regular players were quite gifted, even if they weren't exactly pro tennis players in the making._

_Still, the structure at Hyoutei wasn't really Yuushi's style. He didn't exactly relish the idea of spending three years in such a strict club, when the only attraction seemed to be fighting it out for that one coveted position of captain, to stand on top of it all as a self-appointed leader. Yuushi didn't care about that kind of thing, and he had already noticed with some disgust that there was a great deal of rivalry and even ugly behavior among the second-years, in anticipation of the approaching election for their captain. _

_And so, by the time that practice had been broken up into sections by grade, Yuushi had already decided that the Hyoutei tennis club wasn't for him. Of course, that had been before he had met some of the unusual individuals that would have been his clubmates for the next three years…_

_And now, Yuushi was almost tempted to re-think his decision._

"_You're new here," a snobby voice declared next to him, distracting his attention from the tennis court. It was said like the most certain of facts, like there was no way that the speaker could ever possibly be wrong, and that if he was wrong, the whole world had better rearrange itself to match his assumptions._

_Yuushi turned toward the voice, and he got his first close look at Atobe Keigo, the self-proclaimed prince of their grade. He had heard of Atobe, of course, and had even noticed the proud way that the boy would strut around the hallway at school, but he had never actually exchanged words with his famous classmate._

"_Yes, I am," was Yuushi's brief response, as he attempted to suppress an amused smirk. Really, the boy was even more arrogant in person than the rumors implied._

_His effort to hide his amusement had apparently failed, however, as the boy raised an eyebrow with something like suspicion. Those cool blue eyes remained fixed on the newcomer, as though he was trying to decipher some kind of code hidden in Yuushi's face._

_After pursing his lips for a moment, the boy remarked a bit slowly, "You're Oshitari, right? Oshitari Yuushi. You transferred here last year, from Osaka. Well, am I right?"_

_Now it was Yuushi who was raising an eyebrow. "Yes. How did you know all that?"_

"_Ore-sama knows plenty of things," the boy declared, with a toss of his head. "Anyway, welcome to Hyoutei's famous tennis club, Oshitari-kun. I'm Atobe Keigo, future captain of this team."_

_And as Atobe put out his pale hand, Yuushi really couldn't help chuckling, even though he promptly shook it._

"_What's so funny?" the shorter boy demanded, withdrawing his hand after a moment and crossing his arms._

"_Nothing," Yuushi replied, the corners of his mouth still twitching. "You're just thinking kind of far ahead, aren't you?"_

"_Not really. It's already been decided," Atobe insisted, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm the best tennis player here, and everyone says they'll vote for me."_

"_Everyone? Even those two?" Atobe seemed somewhat perplexed at Yuushi's question, until he pointed to the tennis court in front of them._

_Atobe looked over at where two smaller boys were trying to one-up each other, and then he just sighed in resignation._

"_Shishido, Mukahi, could the two of you please stop this pointless display?"_

"_No way, Atobe! I've got him right where I want him!" the brunette with his hair tied up in a ponytail insisted._

"_Like hell you do, Shishido! I'm not losing to you!"_

"_I really don't know where he learns such foul language," and Atobe shook his head at the brunette's opponent, who also happened to be the tiniest first-year that Yuushi had ever seen._

_It was the first time that Oshitari Yuushi really looked at the boy that he would one day call 'Gakuto.' And even he had to admit that this miniscule redhead with such a spitfire personality was… Well, he was interesting. He had the strangest tennis style, for one thing. Even though he was small, he covered the court quickly, and he jumped and hopped around the white lines like some kind of grasshopper with spring fever. Of course, his current opponent wasn't bad himself… That Shishido had remarkably good reaction time, which made for an unusual match-up, as each of them tried stubbornly to out-run the other._

"_Take that!" Shishido yelled, hitting a solid backhand to the far corner. It was the perfect placement for such a shot, Yuushi realized, and there was no way that the small redhead could possibly return it._

"_He can't get to it," Yuushi murmured, watching intently. It was with some surprise that he heard Atobe's smug reply, right next to him…_

"_I don't know about that."_

_It was then that Yuushi first learned that you should never underestimate the reach of Mukahi Gakuto._

"_That's nothing!" Gakuto was shouting, as he leaped across the baseline, looking as though he was going to fall down onto the ground, over a meter short of reaching the ball. To Yuushi's surprise, though, the boy pushed himself up with one hand, executing a perfect flip. And he returned the ball in mid-air, pulling off a straight shot down the court to take the point._

"_That's just uncool," Shishido mumbled, not even trying to reach the ball._

_Yuushi felt his glasses slide halfway down his nose._

"_What was **that**?" he mumbled in disbelief. He didn't even notice the way Atobe was smirking next to him, intently observing his reaction._

"_That was Mukahi Gakuto's acrobatic tennis," the proud boy declared, as he gestured toward the court. "As you can see, he was a gymnast before he joined our club. Oddly enough, he's not half bad at tennis, either."_

"_That's… ridiculous," Yuushi managed, with an incredulous smirk. These Hyoutei tennis club members were strange ones, if nothing else. "But really, that's not even tennis."_

"_Hey! What did you say over there?" Yuushi was surprised to hear that squeaky, impertinent voice addressing him. But sure enough, he looked over to see that tiny redhead in a huff, glaring in his direction. And all the other first-years were looking at him, trying to see who it was that had the guts to made Gakuto mad._

_Yuushi wasn't intimidated, though. The smirk remained fixed on his face, as he coolly replied, "I said, what you're doing isn't even tennis."_

"_Oh, really? Well, it's not against the rules, and if I win, I don't really care if it's tennis or not," the boy snapped, crossing his pale arms._

"_But it wouldn't be hard to beat you," Yuushi retorted, before he could stop himself. Gakuto's mouth dropped open, and several of the first-years were staring with wide eyes. Even Atobe had raised both his eyebrows at that._

"_You… you…" Gakuto sputtered, his face turning pink. "You just say that again, after I've cleaned up the court with you! Come over here, right now!"_

_Yuushi was careful not to laugh, knowing that it would make the situation even worse, so he just shrugged a little. "I would, but I don't have my racquet today."_

"_You can borrow mine," a voice spoke up suddenly, as Yuushi felt a racquet being shoved into his hands. He glanced at the light green frame, and then looked up, only to see the boy with the ponytail meeting his stare intently._

"_You don't mind?" Yuushi managed, with the distinct feeling that there was no way he could back out of it now. The boy just stared at him for a few more seconds, like he was looking for something in Yuushi's eyes._

"_Nah," he answered at last, his face breaking into a grin. "Kick his ass, new kid."_

"… _Really, must you all poison ore-sama's ears with such crude language?"_

_And so it was with a subdued grin of his own that Yuushi entered the court, walking up to the net to face his incredibly irritated clubmate._

"_What's your name?" Gakuto demanded, hands on his hips as he glared up at him._

"_Oshitari Yuushi," he offered promptly, pushing his glasses up with one hand and holding out the other one for a handshake._

"_I'm Mukahi Gakuto. You can remember that name after I completely humiliate you. Your serve." With a toss of his head, the acrobat shoved the tennis ball into Yuushi's outstretched palm, and turned to walk back to the baseline._

_Yuushi sighed as he walked back to his side of the court, trying to give his opponent the courtesy of taking it a little seriously. Of course, he already knew how he was going to win the point. It wasn't rocket science. But that miniature circus performer wasn't going to like it one bit._

_Calmly, Yuushi served the ball into the service box, moving quickly to the center of the court for the return. Sure enough, Gakuto hit it back easily, and then Yuushi began to implement his strategy. He was curious to see just how good the acrobat's reach actually was. So he began alternating his shots, hitting one to the far left and then one to the far right, watching as the redhead started to dive for the harder ones. He was good at it; Yuushi had to give him that much. But he was so focused on it that he wasn't thinking about his own shots, and Yuushi had no trouble returning everything that Gakuto hit._

_Yuushi smirked a little. Sure enough, this boy was a hothead, just chasing the ball around recklessly like an amateur._

_Well, if that Mukahi person didn't think ahead, then that was all there was to it._

_Yuushi hit a particularly good shot to the right side, knowing full well that it was to the acrobat's forehand, since he had already noticed that he was dealing with a left-handed player. And because of this, Gakuto was able to reach it… But just barely. The return was a short one, hardly managing to make it over the net. _

_But of course, Yuushi had already predicted that._

_He took the last few steps up to the net and executed a perfect drop shot, one that landed in the service box on the left side._

_It could not have been farther away from his astonished opponent, who stood there with his mouth open, gaping at him like a fish out of water. Of course, Yuushi didn't think that his strategy had been so incredible… He had been hitting drop shots since the fourth grade. But they weren't very common at the elementary level, after all, and most kids their age were more concerned with returning the ball than with court placement._

_So he wasn't too surprised to hear the crowd of first-years whispering amongst themselves, in admiration of his "awesome drop shot." He just hoped that his opponent wasn't so angry that he was going to attempt to kill him on his first day at practice._

"_Stupid cheap shot," the redhead was mumbling, as he walked up to the net to where Yuushi was standing. But once he was right in front of him, he stopped and looked up, brushing his hair out of his face with a slightly annoyed gesture._

"_Well, fine, so you got me, new kid," he said bluntly, glaring up at him and holding out his hand. "You don't suck, anyway. Where'd you learn to hit a drop shot like that?"_

"_I used to play tennis in elementary school," Yuushi answered as they shook hands, feeling somewhat relieved that the tiny first-year wasn't preparing to jump at his throat._

"_Whaddya mean, you used to?" Gakuto repeated, stunned. "Don't tell me that you **quit**, with a drop shot like that! You'd better be joining our tennis club!"_

"_Well, I was thinking about it," Yuushi admitted, as they both starting walking off of the court. "But getting lost in a crowd of two hundred people isn't really my thing."_

"_I don't see how a guy like **you** could get lost anywhere," Gakuto interrupted. Yuushi raised his eyebrows at that. This guy was surprisingly free with his compliments, even when he'd been completely defeated._

"_Maybe not. But I've still played more than my share of tennis matches. It gets boring after a while, you know," Yuushi explained briefly, pushing his glasses up again._

"_You're weird." And Gakuto just shook his head. Yuushi smirked ironically at that comment._

"_So are you."_

"_Be that as it may," another voice interrupted, and Yuushi suddenly noticed that Atobe was standing next to him, staring at them both. "It would be a shame to lose someone with your level of talent, Oshitari-kun. You have the potential of a genius, you know."_

_Yuushi just blinked, surprised to hear genuine praise coming from the arrogant first-year's mouth._

"_In any case, there's more to tennis than singles matches, Oshitari-kun. So, if you insist that you're too bored to play singles…"_

_Here, Atobe's lips curled into a knowing smile._

"_I think you two should play doubles together."_

_Both the individuals in question did a double-take._

"_Whaddya mean, play doubles, Atobe?" Gakuto sounded about as incredulous as Yuushi felt. "I've never even played doubles!"_

"_Well, why not give it a try? After all, Oshitari-kun needs something to cure his boredom. And you need someone to cover up all those holes you're always leaving on court, what with the way you insist on jumping around like a frog," Atobe calmly reasoned. Gakuto bristled at the taller boy's remarks, but for a moment, he didn't say a word._

"_I guess we could try it," Gakuto said at last, answering for both of them, much to Yuushi's amusement. And with another toss of his head, he shot the tensai a confident look. "But if we're going to play doubles, you're going to have to keep up with me."_

_Yuushi couldn't stop himself from smiling, in his usual, self-assured way. And then, much to his own surprise, he agreed._

"_Fine, I'll play doubles with you. And I'll keep up with you, too. You can bet on that."_

…

Yes, that was how it had started, and Yuushi had never forgotten that day. He had never forgotten it, because it had been the story of the rest of his tennis career, right up until the present. He had started playing doubles with Gakuto on that day, and he had actually found it to be its own kind of challenge, from the very first moment that they had practiced on the court together. In some ways, in fact, it was even more challenging than singles. There was so much more to remember when it came to doubles techniques, for one thing, and then there was the fact that Gakuto was his partner…

Yuushi was certain that no singles match could be as interesting as trying to cover for Mukahi Gakuto.

After all, the acrobat's style was just so _erratic_. Even as someone that had practiced with Gakuto for months, Yuushi always found it fairly difficult to predict where his partner was going on the court. And since he was the one responsible for covering up the holes that Gakuto created during their matches, he was constantly trying to figure out which way his partner would be moving, and where he would be hitting the ball. It was… well, it was interesting for one thing. It was a challenge, in fact.

And it was a challenge that, for whatever reason, Yuushi actually enjoyed taking on.

Of course, he didn't really know _why_ he enjoyed it. Part of him wished that he knew why, though, because then he could have answered the questions that people were always asking him. Until his third year, his coach had constantly asked him if he really wanted to play doubles, and if he wouldn't rather be competing for a singles spot.

…

"_Are you really sure that you don't want to play singles, Oshitari?"_

"… _Are you sure?"_

"_Are you **sure**…?"_

…

He had finally asked the coach to never bring it up again. He was going to play doubles, and that was that. That was his choice, and as long as Gakuto didn't object, he didn't see why he should have to rethink his decision. And even though they had never talked about it, Gakuto had never objected to it, and so they had always played doubles together.

And so when he had insisted to the coach, in Atobe's presence, that he had absolutely no interest in playing singles, Yuushi had considered the subject closed for discussion. That had been several months ago, when he had still been in his second year of middle school, and he had never felt any differently about the situation…

How dare Atobe bring it up again, as though it had been some kind of accident?

…

"_Perhaps it was uncalled for. But if that is indeed the case, than you both can just ignore it, like you always do."_

…

Yuushi frowned again, walking back over to his closet to search for something to wear. Settling on a dark green t-shirt, he slid it over his head, pulling it down across his bare chest. He then ran his fingers through his hair, trying to smooth it down, as he started hunting for a pair of jeans. His glasses were still lying, forgotten, on his dresser.

Of course, he knew that Atobe had been in a bad mood on the bus that day. Even though he had won against the famed Tezuka Kunimitsu, Yuushi had seen the unsatisfied look in their captain's eyes, when he had returned to the bleachers after the match. Something had been weighing on the proud man's mind that afternoon, and he had been hiding it with only some success, when he had finally directed his frustration toward Gakuto on the bus. So it would have been easy for Yuushi to dismiss the captain's words as nothing more than that… Misplaced anger.

But in those words, Yuushi sensed that there had been something more than just a momentary slip of the tongue. It was as though the captain had been storing up those words for just such an occasion, when he would no longer be able to hide his view on the subject…

'_Ignore it, like you always do?'_

… _What exactly are we ignoring?_

After he was finished getting dressed, Yuushi walked over to his bed and sat down on the mattress, still frowning to himself. He didn't know why Atobe had been on their case lately, but it was certainly unsettling. Whatever the arrogant captain was getting at, it had something to do with him, and it also had something to do with the way he and Gakuto played doubles together.

For Yuushi's part, he didn't see what the problem was. He and Gakuto played doubles, and that was all there was to it. As long as they didn't mess up, it wasn't anybody's business but their own…

But then again, they had messed up. Twice in the same week, in fact.

And yet, even that part had seemed like a set-up.

…

"_Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ohtori for the top doubles spot."_

…

Why had Atobe decided to replace their partnership with a makeshift pair, at the very last minute before the Regional Tournament? It didn't make any sense at all, and it certainly didn't make any sense that Shishido and Ootori were a better pair than they were. Even so, those two were a truly good combination, good enough to beat him and Gakuto in the intramural match that Atobe had arranged just to push them back down to the second doubles spot. And what was even worse, he and Gakuto had still lost their match against Seigaku in that second doubles spot, against a pair that had been formed because of a medical emergency.

No, it didn't make any sense, but even so, Yuushi secretly resented the captain's decision.

He hadn't resented it at first, of course. He had suspected Atobe of plotting something, but he had played along with the arrangement, convinced that it would be nothing but a waste of time to fight it. And it didn't bother him, playing in the second doubles spot… Shishido and Ootori were a truly good doubles pair, after all, even if the reason that they were a good doubles pair involved something that Yuushi didn't really want to think about.

But now, it seemed like Atobe had even intended for them to lose against Seigaku. At the very least, the captain had apparently expected it, and he had practically told Gakuto this to his face. Of course, the acrobat hadn't noticed it, but Yuushi had.

And now he resented it.

Maybe Atobe was right. Maybe he and Gakuto _had_ been outperformed as a pair. But if that was the case, it certainly wasn't _their_ fault…

… Was it?

In all honesty, there was something Yuushi had never understood about the way that certain people played doubles. It was true for the Golden Pair, and it was true for Shishido and Ootori as well… They all had a good grasp of the mechanics of doubles, but not an exceptionally good grasp of it. They were all skilled players on the court, but not strikingly so. And their abilities were all pretty well-matched to the abilities of their partners, but not in a way that should have been unbeatable.

So what was it that made these pairs so good at doubles?

Of course, Yuushi had noticed that they all relied on their partners while they were on the court. They cooperated with each other in a way that made it seem like second nature, like something they didn't even have to think about. But he had never figured out _why_ they were able to play like that.

The only thing he had noticed was that somehow, they all had a connection with each other that he and Gakuto had never experienced.

In the end, the only thing he could conclude was that it had something to do with what he had seen on the Hyoutei campus, so late at night that only he and the stars had been watching…

And somehow, he couldn't stop thinking of the way that Ootori had leaned down and kissed his senpai on the cheek, right next to the tennis court.

Was that what it meant, to play doubles like the Golden Pair?

The more he thought about it, the more he suspected that he was right. He had seen a glimpse of the way Seigaku's vice captain had greeted his partner after the second doubles match. There had been something more in those affectionate green eyes than just friendship. Even if that wasn't the reason why they played such good doubles, it certainly hadn't hindered it. And Yuushi couldn't help thinking that he and Gakuto would probably never play such a flawless doubles game.

… Why? Just because they weren't like _that_?

It was a ridiculous thought, really, and Yuushi instantly resolved to banish it from every corner of his mind. Slowly, he got up from his bed and walked over to his desk, picking up the manuscript of his sister's novel, with some intention of reading over the love scene before dinner.

Why should it matter, anyway? Who cared if they couldn't play doubles like the Golden Pair? They were still a good doubles pair, no matter what Atobe was implying…

Suddenly, Yuushi wondered why it mattered to _him_.

He had never thought about it before. But now that he was thinking about it, he couldn't help realizing something. He didn't want to play singles; he only wanted to play doubles… And the truth was that he only wanted to play doubles with Gakuto.

But why? Just because he thought it was interesting?

Was there even a reason for it at all?

Maybe the truth was that he didn't know why… He just wanted to.

…

… And suddenly, he realized what his sister had been trying to tell him.

Yuushi didn't even feel it, when the manuscript slipped out of his hands, sending pages flying all over his desk and onto the floor.

…

"_Knowledge is completely useless when it comes to passion."_

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"That's it for today. You all may go," Sakaki declared with his usual sense of finality.

Another day's tennis practice had just come to a close, with the coach's familiar command as its official conclusion. In a way, the days were all starting to blend together now, in a numbing cycle where getting through the schedule was the team's only goal. The third-years were all present on this particular afternoon, since the coach had asked them to come help the underclassmen with their drills. Of course, this meant that all the underclassmen were especially tired now, because the seniors hadn't exactly given them an easy time.

It was a brilliant strategy on Sakaki's part, Yuushi realized. After all, the seniors were basically being given permission to take out their every frustration on the hapless second and first-years, who were either going to crumble or improve dramatically under the pressure. It was typical of a spartan coach like Sakaki, who was ultimately concerned with results alone, not the players' psychological well-being.

In any case, it went without saying that Yuushi was glad to be going home. He wasn't really the type to enjoy taking out his anger on others, and watching his teammates do so, even when they claimed that they were just trying to be helpful to the underclassmen, wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing to watch.

The plain and simple truth, of course, was that Yuushi's interest in tennis was steadily waning now. He figured that he probably wouldn't be able to get excited about it again until high school started. And then, only maybe… Maybe, if they were all joining the tennis club again….

Maybe, if Gakuto would still be playing doubles…

Yuushi frowned to himself, trying to brush the thought aside. There was no point in thinking about that now. It would only frustrate him.

After all, Gakuto was still trying to avoid him.

It was ridiculous, really, and Yuushi should have made up his mind to just ignore it at this point. At least Gakuto wasn't giving him the silent treatment anymore. He had said hello a few times at practice, and when he had been forced to talk to Yuushi during the drills, he had done it without even so much as a frown. But it was still there all the same, in the way Gakuto wouldn't quite meet his eyes when he was talking, or the way the acrobat would rush out of the locker room after practice, like he was afraid that Yuushi might try to follow him home. It was even there in that awkward way that the Gakuto was always biting his lip now, or in that slightly flat tone that he would use when he talked to the tensai, as if he was actually somewhere else, far away, where his partner could never, ever find him…

Yes, it was still there. And it was bothering Yuushi to no end.

But the tensai didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to think about that ugly sinking feeling that he was always getting now, ever since two days ago, when he had dropped his sister's papers all over his bedroom, in shock at his own train of thought. He had spent nearly an hour that evening trying to get the pages back into the correct order, and the whole time, he had experienced the strangest sensation that he had ever known…

His mind had been completely blank.

Even now, it made him flinch to think about it. It was painful to recall that feeling, that complete eclipse of all the logical power of his mind, while his hands scrambled for the papers on the floor like they were grasping at nothing, and his eyes forgot how to read the simple Arabic numbers, putting the eleven before the six and the twenty-two after the one-hundred-seventy-nine…

No, he wasn't going to think about it anymore. It didn't matter. Gakuto was going to rush out of the locker room just like he had done every other day, and Yuushi wouldn't see him until their next tennis practice together, and that was all there was to it…

But _why_ wouldn't that sinking feeling go away?

"Ah, yes, that's right, Atobe. I had forgotten about that."

Yuushi was startled out of his train of thought by the coach's deep voice, as Sakaki snapped his fingers, in order to catch everyone's attention one more time before they could leave the courts.

"I need to see all of the Regulars over here, right now. The rest of you are dismissed."

Yuushi blinked in surprise. Was the coach referring to the Regulars who had just retired? Of course, he must have been, because there weren't any new Regulars yet. They hadn't even had an intramural competition since the one that had been used to determine the lineup for the Kantou Tournament. But then why would Sakaki need to talk to them? After all, the season was already over.

His teammates looked equally confused as they gathered near their coach, with the lone exception of Atobe, who was standing next to Sakaki with his usual know-it-all expression.

Naturally, Yuushi already realized that Atobe was plotting something.

"Well, now that you're all here, I'm going to leave the announcement to Atobe," Sakaki said at last, shooting a significant glance at the captain.

Atobe nodded, taking a moment to clear his throat and make sure that he had his audience's attention. And then he began, "As you all know, the Kantou Tournament will be ending as of this coming weekend, and the four semi-finalists who will be attending the Nationals have already been determined. Rokkaku is one of them, and despite all the predictions of the so-called experts, Fudomine is another. And of course, it goes without saying that Seigaku and Rikkaidai will be facing each other in the Kantou finals and will both be going to Nationals.

"But I'm sure that you're already familiar with those facts. However, in addition to these four finalists, it has been announced that one additional team from the Kantou Region will be invited to Nationals, since Kantou will be hosting the tournament this year. And while ore-sama does not mean to get your hopes up prematurely, there is a strong possibility that the team will be our very own Hyoutei Gakuen."

There was a pause, and several of the Regulars glanced at each other meaningfully. Did that mean they actually might get the chance to play again, before the season was over? It sounded too good to be true.

"There is a catch," Atobe added, making all the Regulars snap to attention. "One factor in deciding the lucky nominee will be the final result of the match this coming weekend."

Sure enough, there was a catch. And it was quite the ugly little snag, if Yuushi did say so himself.

"Aw, man," Jiroh whined suddenly, sounding like a puppy that had just been kicked into the street. "You mean, we'll only get to go if Seigaku beats Rikkai?"

"We're so screwed," was Shishido's eloquent contribution to the discussion.

Atobe held up a hand, quickly silencing all the side commentary. "Don't misunderstand ore-sama's words. That is not the only factor that will influence the decision. But it is true that if Seigaku wins, the invitation committee will be examining the teams who lost to Seigaku more closely than those that lost to Rikkai. And we, of course, are in the former category, as opposed to the latter…"

"Yeah, we're screwed," Shishido repeated, mumbling.

"Shishido, would you kindly stop interrupting ore-sama, or otherwise risk _swift_ and unspeakably _severe_ retribution?"

After some kind of incoherent assent from the perpetrator, that sounded suspiciously like "Screw _you_, Atobe," Hyoutei's captain shrugged off the interjections and continued.

"In any case, ore-sama has decided that it would be in our best interests to continue practicing as a team, in light of this new knowledge. And so, in that spirit, I have arranged for a little trip for all of us, which will start at precisely eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

There was a long pause.

"Uh… What?"

"Hey, since when?"

"Where are we going, exactly?"

"… Oh, sure, way to keep us informed, Atobe."

Atobe just sighed, withstanding the barrage of comments and concerns with a dignified kind of resignation.

"If you would all do your gracious captain the courtesy of clamping your incredibly active mouths _shut_, then ore-sama will be able to explain the details."

In an instant, there was nothing but silence.

"That's better. Now, as I was saying, we will all be going on a trip, starting tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning. We will be boarding my charter bus here at the school, and then we are going to my family's summer cottage in Karuizawa, where we will be staying for about a week."

"Alright! I love the summer cottage!"

"Jiroh."

"… Sorry."

"Anyway, we will be using this time to train together, and if Hyoutei does not actually receive the team invitation to Nationals, then we will simply consider it a last farewell for the seniors. Besides, it never hurts to keep up your training in anticipation of high school." Here Atobe paused, thinking for a moment. And then he added, "Incidentally, I have already discussed this matter with the school, and your teachers have all given permission for you to miss class, as long as you make up your work once you get back."

There were a few stray groans at that, in anticipation of the irritating burden of makeup work, but they were only half-hearted ones. The truth was that they all liked going to Atobe's so-called "cottage"… It was huge, after all, and they had been there more than once before, during the course of the long year that they had spent preparing for the current tennis season. So despite the fact that Atobe had basically decided at random that he was kidnapping them for a week, nobody minded this turn of events.

Yuushi didn't exactly mind either, but he still had a nagging feeling that this "little trip" wasn't quite as simple as Atobe was making it sound.

"Well, if there are no questions, I will be seeing you all at eight o'clock tomorrow morning," Atobe concluded with a nod.

For a moment, they all waited to see if there were any questions, but no one seemed to have anything to ask. So it wasn't long before the Regulars started heading for the locker rooms, some of them talking amongst themselves about how fun it would be to get out of school. A few were even making plans about what they wanted to do on the trip, as they all walked eagerly off the courts.

Yuushi, however, didn't even move an inch.

"Is there something I can do for you, Oshitari?" It didn't take Atobe long to notice the way the tensai was just standing there.

"That depends," Yuushi replied at last, looking very intently into his captain's eyes. He could see the question hiding in those cold blue irises, and he could tell that Sakaki was also somewhat confused by his cryptic reply. "If I ask you a question, will you answer it?"

"Well, now, that should depend on the question, shouldn't it?" Atobe noted with a tranquil smirk. "Still, ore-sama will freely answer your questions for today. What is it?"

Yuushi frowned for a moment, and then he suddenly asked, "Why are we going on this trip, exactly?"

Atobe blinked, looking vaguely perplexed. "_Why_ are we going? Did ore-sama not make that perfectly clear during the announcement?"

"You know what I mean, Atobe." Yuushi didn't stop looking at the captain for even a second. "Why are we _really_ going?"

For a brief moment, the tensai saw it. That quick flash of understanding, that tiny light that shot like quicksilver through Atobe's eyes… It was that nearly invisible change that instantly confirmed Yuushi's suspicions. The very second that he saw it, it was already gone. But now he knew that he was right. This was just another one of Atobe's devious schemes, and there was no telling what the captain had in store for them this time.

"The primary reason is no different from what was said two minutes ago," was Atobe's matter-of-fact reply. It was said with a slight shrug, a gesture that told Yuushi that he wouldn't be getting any more information than that, at least not if the captain had any say in it. But Yuushi was determined to get an answer this time, no matter what Atobe wanted.

"So there's a secondary reason, then?" he interjected, as calmly as he could. "What is it, Atobe?"

"That's a personal objective of mine, Oshitari… And it's confidential information, I'm afraid. In any case, it isn't your concern."

"Is that right?" Yuushi confirmed, very casually, as he tried to hide his frustration from the perceptive captain. "Well, if that's the case, then I won't be going on this little trip."

He turned to walk away, only to be stopped in his tracks by Atobe's voice, which had suddenly grown strangely quiet.

"That's your choice, of course. But it goes without saying that you won't be playing with us if we are invited to the Nationals afterwards."

There was a slight pause, as the very air held its breath, waiting for the captain's next words. And then those words came, slowly, but overflowing with the most significant kind of meaning…

"I'm quite sure that some of us would find that to be a most… regrettable circumstance."

Yuushi stood there, letting those words sink in, just as slowly as Atobe had said them. And it wasn't long before he knew that once again, the captain had managed to score another point in the perpetual duel that they always seemed to be having with each other. Sometimes the tensai wondered if it was even possible to corner the proud man.

_Of course, you **would** say something like that. You always know exactly how to get to us._

"Very well, Atobe. You win," he said at last, sounding somewhat irritable. "I'll play along with whatever it is you're plotting. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Atobe offered serenely, and Yuushi nearly grimaced at that light tone of voice. But he forced himself to ignore his own indignation, as he started heading for the locker room with a pace that was a little faster than his normal step.

Of course, the tensai didn't notice the way that Atobe's eyes were following him, as he was walking off of the court. But their coach noticed, and he raised an eyebrow slightly, watching the way Atobe smiled a little as he turned to pick up the clipboard with the training schedule on it.

"Oshitari seemed to be on edge today," Sakaki finally observed, very seriously.

But Atobe only chuckled a little, clicking his pen and writing a few notes on the schedule. "Indeed, he did."

"Do you know what's bothering him?" the coach inquired, glancing at Atobe's picture-perfect handwriting. "It's not like him to be so confrontational."

Atobe paused for a moment before he replied, and there was a strange light in his eyes as he gazed down at the clipboard.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. He's had a lot on his mind lately."

Sakaki took the clipboard from Atobe's hands, flipping through the pages quickly so that he could see what changes the captain had already made.

"You can always tell when it comes to that, can't you?" he remarked pointedly, as he came to the last page.

"When it comes to what?"

"Your teammates."

Atobe was silent for a full minute, as he turned to look at the distant figure of Oshitari Yuushi, whose stride was longer than it should have been, whose eyes had been much too unfocused lately, whose tone of voice had been betraying a kind of tension for the past three days that proved beyond a doubt that something was wrong…

"I suppose so," he said at last. And that unfamiliar smile reappeared on the captain's lips.

"Anyway, he had it coming to him."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_A person should experience something before they claim to be an expert on it."_

…

Yuushi sighed one last time to himself while he was alone in the locker room, trying to forget all of the frustration he had been feeling lately. After all, nothing was wrong, not really, and in any case, there wasn't anything that he could do to change his current circumstances. He just needed to shrug the whole thing off, and not concern himself with Atobe's schemes or Gakuto's temper tantrums.

With this new perspective in mind, he calmly reached down to finish putting on his shoes, and then he glanced at the bench to make sure that he hadn't left anything behind. But everything was already in his bag, so he just picked it up off of the bench and headed for the door, exiting the locker room at his usual, tranquil pace…

And then he nearly collided into his doubles partner.

"Gakuto." The name was said with just the slightest hint of surprise, as the tensai blinked in astonishment.

For a moment, it seemed like Gakuto was going to say something, but the shorter boy quickly stopped himself. The pause was almost painful in its silence.

"… Gakuto, what are you doing here?"

"I'm---" But then Gakuto paused again, interrupting himself. And a slight smile started playing around his mouth. "Well, I'm in the same tennis club as you are, remember?"

Yuushi managed a faint smirk. Of course, Gakuto would feel the need to throw a little of his trademark irony right back at him…

…

"_Yuushi? What the hell are you doing here?"_

"_Gakuto, you do realize that I'm in the same tennis club as you are, right?"_

…

For the first time in a week, Yuushi actually felt the temptation to smile. But the only thing that he said was, "Why are you still here, exactly?"

Up until that point, Gakuto had been meeting his stare, but now his eyes slipped to the side again. And that sinking feeling instantly reappeared…

_He's still not over it._

"I just thought that I would wait for you," Gakuto finally managed, much to Yuushi's surprise. He had been half-expecting that the acrobat would run away again.

"Wait for me?" Yuushi repeated, looking slightly confused. "For what?"

It was then that the tensai first noticed the distinct blush that was coloring his partner's face a brilliant pink. He blinked, startled by his own observation, and wondering about what its possible causes could be. But he forgot all about that, as soon as Gakuto started to answer his question…

"Well… Actually, I wanted… I mean, that is…" Gakuto was stammering now, trying to find the best way to say it. "I guess it's just that I… uh… well…"

The acrobat shook his head, frowning to himself. He took a quick breath, and then he started over.

"I just really needed to apologize to you, Yuushi."

There was a sudden _thud_, and Gakuto jumped in surprise. Yuushi kneeled down almost instantly, murmuring his own apology as he picked up his fallen tennis bag.

"Sorry about that, Gakuto. I'm not sure what's… Well, never mind. Excuse me, but… _what_ did you say just now?"

He heard himself stringing out all his thoughts so incoherently, and he almost wanted to cringe in disgust. He was doing it again, just like the other night…

"Uh… just now?" Gakuto asked, confused. "I said that I needed to apologize to you."

Yuushi froze for a brief moment, kneeling there on the concrete with his bag in his hands. It had been the second time that the acrobat had said it, but that didn't make it any less incredible. Gakuto had never, _never_, not in all their time as partners, ever said such a thing. And Yuushi had never expected him to.

"Apologize for _what_, Gakuto?" he wondered aloud, still looking up at his partner in surprise.

The acrobat's face turned a slightly deeper shade of pink, but he still managed to stumble through a response.

"It's just that… Well, I've been really awful to you this week, and I know I have, and I… Well, I didn't _mean_ to be like that. It really wasn't your fault, or anything…"

Gakuto took a deep breath, and then his words spilled out, all at once.

"I was just in a bad mood, that's all. And you probably don't even care, but I wanted to tell you anyway. I'm sorry, Yuushi."

There was a long pause, as the tensai just stayed there, kneeling on the ground and looking at Gakuto's embarrassed expression. And then he rose slowly to his feet, slinging his tennis bag securely over one shoulder. For just a brief moment, it was as though he had never noticed before, just how small Gakuto was when he was standing next to him like that… But he quickly brushed the thought out of his mind.

And then he smiled.

"Do you mind if we walk home together?"

Gakuto's blue eyes blinked in surprise. "Do I…? No, I don't mind. But, Yuushi---"

"Then let's go home." The tensai started walking toward the school entrance, pausing just a moment to nod in his partner's direction. "Come on, Gakuto."

For just a moment longer, Gakuto looked completely bewildered, and then he just shrugged to himself, jogging a little to catch up with Yuushi.

"Oh, and Gakuto…" Yuushi's sudden remark made the shorter boy pause for a moment.

"Apology accepted."

He glanced back at his partner, and sure enough, Gakuto was looking him in the eyes again. And there was a kind of self-conscious smile on the acrobat's face, and suddenly Yuushi felt almost light inside.

He never could quite remember what they had talked about after that, as they walked down the street toward their homes. Whatever it was, it hadn't been very important, and the only thing that remained in Yuushi's mind afterwards was the sound of Gakuto's laugh, when Yuushi had made one of his sarcastically witty comments. But he did remember the part when they came to the front walk of Gakuto's house, which was quite a bit closer to the school than Yuushi's was, and they finally stopped walking.

His partner hesitated for a moment, as they both stood there, looking at each other in the dim light of sunset. And suddenly, Yuushi remembered what Atobe had said, about the possibility of their team getting an invitation to the Nationals.

"So, Gakuto, it sounds like we might get the chance to play together again," he observed almost casually. But as soon as he had said it, he wished that he hadn't.

Gakuto's expression instantly fell.

"Oh. Yeah… I guess," he mumbled, sounding quiet.

"Is something wrong?" Yuushi asked, much too quickly.

Gakuto shook his head, but his eyes were fixed on the ground again. "No, it's nothing… It's really nothing at all. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Yuushi!"

"Gakuto---"

But Yuushi didn't even get a chance to finish, as the acrobat quickly spun around and dashed up his front walk. When he reached the door, he turned around for a moment, and the tensai could tell that he forced one last smile onto his mouth, trying to reassure his partner that everything was fine, even though it wasn't. And then the door shut with a light creaking sound, and Gakuto was gone.

Yuushi didn't know exactly how long he stood there, just staring at the front door to Gakuto's house, wondering if there was any chance that he might come out again. But it was twilight before he finally started to drag himself down the sidewalk toward home. His feet felt like lead as he trudged across the pavement, and he found himself wondering what he could have done wrong this time.

…

"_Well, I didn't mean to be like that. It really wasn't your fault."_

…

If that was true, then why did Yuushi feel like a two-ton weight was pressing down on his shoulders?

With every step that he took on that long walk home, there was a part of him that started to realize why he was feeling this way. But by the time he reached his own house, he also realized that he couldn't bring himself to think about it, not really. He didn't _want_ to think about something like that. It was just too dangerous. It wasn't logical, for one thing, and he wouldn't be able to reason his way out of it, once he really thought about it…

Well, he just wouldn't think about it.

As the door to Yuushi's house slammed shut, the first star of the evening appeared in the night sky, shining in the dark heavens like a forgotten treasure.

**-End of Chapter Six-**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Footnotes**

**First Scene: **Yuushi does have an older sister, which is mentioned in his character profile. I don't know if there's any other information about her, so my take on her character was my fault. XD Also, I spelled out the full "Okaasan" and "Otoosan" for the Japanese "Mother" and "Father," but it's often shortened to "'Kaasan" and "'Toosan," I believe. The way I did it is more formal, but I didn't do it for that reason. I just wanted to make it more readable for those who don't know much Japanese.

**Flashback:** I'm not one hundred percent sure that Oshitari was originally from Osaka, because I can't find that information anywhere, but he is definitely from the Kansai region. Since his cousin plays as a member of the rival school Shitenhouji, which is located in Osaka, I assumed that Oshitari came from Osaka as well.

**Last Scene:** The quote about "Gakuto, you do remember that I'm in the same tennis club you are?" is from Chapter One. Just in case anyone forgot. XDDD

Thanks again! I hope you enjoyed it. By the way, Hyoutei's trip to Karuizawa is from the part in the anime when Seigaku goes to a training camp in the mountains before they play Rikkai. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, the next chapter is going to be really fun, so please look forward to it!


	7. Crying for the Moon

**A/N: **Here's chapter seven, at long last! Gah, this one is really late, isn't it? Serves me right for promising that wouldn't take me so long. XP I really apologize, everyone! The last two weeks were crazy. Anyway, here it is, a pretty long chapter to make up for the wait! And I'll do my best to get the next chapter up asap. Enjoy! **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames will be ignored.

(**Also,** many thanks to all those who spotted the incredibly stupid errors in the last chapter, the ones about Japanese family names. I swear that I actually did know better, but leave it to me to have a complete mental lapse like that. It's kind of funny, too, because it just so happens that my Japanese teacher is reviewing those terms this week, just to make me feel even more pathetic. My sincere apologies, everyone! It's fixed now.)

**Warning:** Shonen-ai/slash/BL/yaoi/whatever-you-call-it.

--------------------------

**Chapter Seven: Crying for the Moon**

"_Why is it that the one thing that we simply cannot have, is always the one thing that we want the most?"_

…

"Jiroh, you are henceforth forbidden to go anywhere near the refrigerator. No more soda for you."

"But A-to-be, I'm really thirsty!"

"I know that, Jiroh, but if you increase your sugar intake any further than you already have, you're liable to start ricocheting off the walls. Kabaji, go get him some water."

"Usu."

"Awwwwww…. That's no fun. You're no fun at all, Atobe."

"If ore-sama is only 'fun' if ore-sama likes the idea of trying to pry you off the ceiling of this vehicle after your blood sugar skyrockets to new and dangerous levels… Then no, ore-sama is absolutely no fun whatsoever."

"Yeah, but it's still boring… Hey, look over there! _Trees!_"

"… Apparently, it's already too late."

Halfheartedly, Gakuto glanced at one of the windows after Jiroh's remark, and sure enough, they were finally finished with the more metropolitan part of the drive. The scene outside was getting less and less crowded with buildings, and more and more crowded with the undeveloped woodlands that surrounded Atobe's summer cottage in Karuizawa.

He wondered for about the hundredth time that day why he couldn't have cared less.

Normally, Gakuto liked these random field trips that Atobe was always organizing. After all, it meant a temporary escape from schoolwork, and it also meant goofing off with his teammates, who were actually fun to hang out with when they weren't too busy being full of themselves. But as far as this trip went, Gakuto would much rather have stayed home. For one thing, he didn't like the fact that this whole invitation to the Nationals concept was still up in the air… He didn't want to get his hopes up when there was only a slim chance that it would actually work in their favor.

And then for another thing, well…

Gakuto glanced over at the person sitting next to him, but sure enough, he didn't even look up from the book he was reading, much less meet the acrobat's stare.

Yuushi was acting strange.

Of course, Gakuto knew that he hadn't exactly been acting normal lately, either. He had felt guilty about it, too, guilty enough to apologize to Yuushi the previous day for ignoring him. But then again, he hadn't really meant to ignore him for so long… It was just easier, somehow, to stop himself from thinking about the horrible loss at Kantou, if he didn't have to try and talk to his partner face to face.

But if Gakuto was being completely honest with himself, he had to admit that wasn't the only reason. Because lately, even when he just so much as looked at Yuushi, he got the strangest feeling, like maybe someone had just punched him in the stomach…

_You're going crazy, you moron! Stop thinking about it!_

"Yuushi," he blurted suddenly, catching the tensai's attention. His partner calmly met his gaze with those deep blue eyes, and Gakuto's heart skipped a beat.

"What is it, Gakuto?"

"Uh… well… I… um…" More than anything, the acrobat wished that he hadn't said a word, now that he was fumbling desperately for something to say.

Yuushi just sat there in the awkward silence, looking at him. And for a brief second, Gakuto wanted to just melt into the floor and disappear.

"What are you reading, anyway?" he finally stammered, knowing that it was a stupid question.

Sure enough, Yuushi raised an eyebrow, but he didn't make a single sarcastic comment.

"I don't think that you'd find it very interesting," Yuushi said at last, very quietly.

"Well, what is it?" Gakuto pressed, knowing all too well that he should just let it go. But he couldn't, somehow, not when Yuushi was acting so weird, not making any of his usual wisecracks or even giving him that half-smirk of a smile that Gakuto knew so well.

"It's a romance novel," Yuushi finally replied, watching Gakuto's nose scrunch up at the mere mention of the 'r' word.

"Don't tell me it's one of those awful grocery store books, with all those stupid sex scenes," he groaned, feeling his face turn red. "I don't know how you can stand those things, Yuushi."

"For your information, this book happens to be for literature class," Yuushi answered, sounding almost defensive. "It's a translation of _Pride and Prejudice_."

"It's a translation of what?" Gakuto was confused. He'd never heard of that book before.

"_Pride and Prejudice_, by Jane Austen," Yuushi repeated, sighing as he turned back to the book. "Our teacher insisted that it was a masterpiece, so now we all have to read it for class."

"Oh." Gakuto was going to shut up, but then his curiosity got the better of him. "Well, what's it about?"

Yuushi glanced back up at Gakuto, looking almost surprised at the question.

"It's about a young woman named Elizabeth Bennett, whose family wants her to marry well, and how she meets a wealthy bachelor named Mr. Darcy," he explained briefly.

_Ugh. How predictable._

"So they fall in love," Gakuto persisted, grimacing a little.

"Well, that's how it's supposed to go," Yuushi affirmed slowly. "But at the moment, I'm not sure how that's going to happen."

"Why's that?" Gakuto cocked his head slightly to one side, not following.

"At the moment, they apparently hate each other." Yuushi paused for a moment, glancing over the lines again. "They're so busy making sarcastic remarks whenever they meet, that I don't think any other feelings could get a word in edgewise."

"So… what? Do they still get together at the end?" Gakuto wasn't sure why he couldn't seem to stop asking questions, but the words were out before he knew it.

"It's not like I'd know. I've never read it before." Yuushi shrugged a little, turning the page. But they both sat up a bit straighter when another voice suddenly interrupted.

"Seeing as how Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy are one of the most famous couples in English literature, it goes without saying that she condescends to marry him by the end."

Sure enough, Atobe was standing in the aisle next to their seats, looking at them both with a rather amused expression.

"And how would you know that, Atobe?" Yuushi raised both his eyebrows, looking at their captain over the rim of his glasses.

"I read it for the first time when I was seven, I believe." Atobe paused there for a moment, and Gakuto felt his jaw drop at that piece of information.

"Don't tell me you read it in the original English," Yuushi remarked dryly.

"Alright, I won't tell you that," Atobe retorted with a smirk. "But I read a great deal when I was in elementary school; it's not that remarkable. In any case, it was one of the better novels I've read, at least if you like that sort of thing… So, can I interest you two in something to drink?"

Gakuto just blinked, confused at the quick change in subject. "Um… what?"

"Here, just take these." Atobe shoved two bottles of water into their hands. "Kabaji got carried away with getting Jiroh some water, and he brought up a whole case from the back. So I'm giving these out before he puts the leftovers into storage again. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"Um… thanks, Atobe," Yuushi managed, looking at the bottled water like a meteor had just landed into his palm.

"Please, do not bother to thank ore-sama, even if my incredible thoughtfulness for others has overwhelmed you," and Atobe just waved a hand dismissively, as he started walking back up the aisle.

There was a slight pause, and then Gakuto groaned.

"Do you ever get the feeling that he does that kind of stuff just so he can say things like that?"

"… Do you ever _not_ get that feeling?"

Gakuto glanced at Yuushi, who was rolling his eyes, just like he always did when Atobe went into his self-righteous mode. And he really had to laugh, even as he twisted the cap off of the bottle and took a quick drink.

But when he glanced back at his partner, Yuushi was already absorbed in his book again. And Gakuto almost sighed.

Really, why was he being so damn _quiet_?

"Um… thanks, Atobe." Gakuto heard the echo of Yuushi's earlier words with some degree of surprise. He glanced toward the front of the bus, and sure enough, there were Shishido and Ootori, staring at the two water bottles that their captain had just placed in their hands.

"Yes, yes, it goes without saying that ore-sama's generosity exceeds all bounds. Enjoy."

As the captain continued up the aisle, Shishido groaned _and_ rolled his eyes. "I swear, sometimes it's like he's living in an alternate dimension."

"Well… At least he's enjoying it?" Ootori smiled at his senpai.

"I guess." Shishido was quiet for a moment, fiddling with the water bottle in his hand, and then he lost his grip. "Whoops…"

"I'll get it, Shishido-san," Ootori offered, bending over at the exact same time as his doubles partner. Which naturally resulted in them bumping heads, and saying "Ow!" at exactly the same time.

Gakuto wanted to ignore them, the way they were laughing so awkwardly and grinning shyly at each other, but he couldn't quite tear his eyes away. And so he was the only one who noticed it. He was the only one, and it was gone in a flash, but he was sure of what he'd seen.

Ootori had silently mouthed the words "I love you" to Shishido, who had turned about twenty shades of red in response.

"Choutarou---" Shishido was about to mumble something in surprise, but Ootori put a finger to his own smiling lips, and his partner was silent.

Gakuto felt almost sick to his stomach.

He glanced back again at Yuushi, but the tensai didn't look up at all. The acrobat almost tried to say something to his partner again, but he couldn't help remembering how he had fumbled at the words during his last attempt. He had never been hesitant to talk to Yuushi before, but now, somehow, the words wouldn't come. And so Gakuto just stared, stared at the way those deep blue eyes blinked behind the lenses as they read across the page, stared at the way those strands of dark hair framed his partner's forehead…

And more than anything, more than anything else, as he felt that strange aching sensation inside of him start to grow…

More than anything else, he wished that he had just stayed at home.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"You know, I could just carry it myself."

"No, sir, I insist. Please let me show you to your room."

Gakuto suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, as the attendant took his duffel bag and started walking up the huge staircase. It was ridiculous, really, how many servants lived in Atobe's so-called summer cottage, especially considering the fact that Atobe was always saying that the place was "rather understaffed." How a place could be understaffed when it seemed like servants were jumping out at you from behind every corner, asking whether there was anything they could do for you, Gakuto didn't know.

Of course, he really could have carried his own duffel bag. In the first place, it wasn't that heavy, and in the second place, he didn't need anyone showing him to his room, because he already knew which room was his.

And even though he had wished that he hadn't come during the bus ride, he couldn't help being kind of excited.

"Here you are, sir," the servant said, as he opened one of the double doors for Gakuto and stood next to it, waiting for him to enter first.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," he replied, almost awkwardly, as he walked inside. But sure enough, it was just the same as always. And somehow, he couldn't help smiling.

"I'll leave your bag on the table, sir," the servant was adding, giving Gakuto a bow before leaving the room. But the acrobat hardly noticed his departure, as he glanced all over the room. And then he really smiled.

"Alright!" he cheered, running across the room and leaping onto the bed. As he sat there, bouncing on the mattress a little, he looked around the room again. He didn't know why, but there was just something about this room that always made him smile.

It was strange, really, the way it had worked out when they had all first come to visit Atobe's cottage… That had been several months ago, when they had already known that they would be on the same team together, with Atobe as their captain. And Atobe had invited them all to a practice at his cottage for a week, and when they had arrived, he had told each of them to pick a guest room that they wanted to stay in, any room at all, because of course there was more than enough space.

And somehow, they had each found one that they really liked, even more than their own bedrooms at home.

Maybe it wasn't that strange, since after all the "cottage" was really more like a mansion, and there were enough rooms in the place to house a small army. And of course, any room in any one of Atobe's houses was better than the best room in Gakuto's entire home. That was just the Atobe family, and the Hyoutei Regulars were used to it.

But Gakuto still thought it was pretty strange, how perfectly this room seemed to suit him.

It was all in bright colors, mostly different shades of red, and it was nicely furnished, almost like a hotel room. But it didn't have any of those overly elaborate touches that could make a room feel stuffy or unwelcoming. Gakuto hated frills, and even though this room was a part of Atobe's cottage, it was decidedly free of them. The canopy bed that he was sitting on was king-sized, which was completely different from what he had at home. And the mattress was that firm, springy kind that was just begging to be jumped on, which was a temptation that Gakuto only resisted when he thought that someone might hear him.

But the best part, the part that had made him pick this room in the first place, was the ladder that was leaning on the wall next to the bed. That was the best part, because it led up to a loft that was like a room in its own right, with a flat screen television and lots of furniture. Gakuto was always climbing up there whenever they had free time, and so by this point, all of his teammates knew that they had to check the loft before they could assume that Gakuto wasn't there. He couldn't explain it… There was just something about being up so high and looking down on the rest of the room that he liked.

He was just thinking of climbing up the ladder, in fact, when a familiar chiming sound echoed next to his door.

"_Alright, everyone. I know you haven't had much time to settle in, but we're not here on vacation, after all. Ore-sama wants every last one of you on the courts in ten minutes."_

Gakuto groaned, mostly because he knew that Atobe couldn't hear him through the intercom. Usually, he didn't mind having tennis practice during these trips. After all, it was a small price to pay for a break from school, and they always got the chance to relax during the evenings.

But now, the last thing that Gakuto wanted to do was play tennis.

With a slight sigh, he started rummaging through his duffel bag, trying to find his tennis shoes and his racquet. He just hoped that they weren't going to have any practice matches… If they did, he was almost convinced that he was going to refuse to play, no matter what Atobe said. He was sick of tennis matches, and he didn't particularly like the idea of having to swallow yet another defeat.

And besides, he would probably have to play with Yuushi as his partner…

…

"_This is all that we can expect from your partnership."_

…

Gakuto swallowed, trying to push all of the negative thoughts out of his mind. Maybe he would get lucky, after all. They might just be doing drills on the first day, instead of actual matches…

But sooner or later, they were going to have to play together. They were going to have to practice their doubles game, probably against Shishido and Ootori, just like in the challenge match before the regional tournament.

And right now, the truth was…

The truth was that Gakuto didn't want to play doubles with Yuushi.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

As it happened, Gakuto did get lucky, even though tennis practice didn't involve drills at all. Atobe had decided to mix up the playing order for the first day, which he said would keep them from falling into their usual habits and also force them to try some new techniques. Gakuto wasn't sure that he bought into that theory, but at least it spared him from the pressure of trying to play with his normal partner.

And he had to admit that playing doubles with Kabaji was… well… _interesting_. He wouldn't want to do it all the time, but it was certainly interesting.

There was one nice thing about it, anyway, and that was that Kabaji was just as good at covering the back court as Yuushi was. So Gakuto really couldn't complain, even if the only thing that his partner ever said to him was a monosyllabic affirmation. And it was equally interesting to be playing against Shishido and Hiyoshi, of all things, even if the combined intensity of those two individuals was kind of intimidating.

It might have been a little more intimidating, though, if Shishido hadn't been so fixated on what was happening on the court next to them.

"Good… He's not twisting his wrist at all," Shishido was mumbling to himself, watching the way that Ootori was serving in his match against Jiroh.

"You might try paying attention to what's going on, you know," Gakuto remarked dryly, as he hit a volley right past his opponent.

"If you had better aim, then I might have to," was Shishido's smug retort, as Hiyoshi easily picked up the volley from the baseline.

"Oh, shut up," Gakuto snapped back as they continued rallying, each trying to out-maneuver the other, just like they always did.

In the end, it was a fairly close match, with Gakuto and Kabaji actually pulling off a win of 6-3. But that had less to do with Gakuto and more to do with the way both Shishido and Hiyoshi were wringing their wrists after the last point.

"That Kabaji… He hits like a freakin' _cannon_," Shishido groaned, flapping his hand as though he was trying to dislocate a joint.

"Or maybe you're just a wimp?" Gakuto offered helpfully, grinning a little.

Shishido and Hiyoshi just glared at him.

"You try hitting his returns, then."

"I'll pass, thanks," he responded almost cheerfully, as he turned back to his temporary partner. "Good game, Kabaji."

"Usu."

It wasn't much, but then again, Gakuto hadn't expected anything different. So it was in a much better mood that he walked off the court after that practice session. After all, it was nice to win again, even if had just been a casual practice match.

As it happened, Yuushi had already finished his match, and was walking down the path back to the house just as Gakuto started to leave. So the acrobat jogged a little to catch up with his partner, trying to tell by Yuushi's face whether he had won or lost. But as was typical with Yuushi, there was no real way to tell, so he had to ask.

"Well, how did the singles match go?" he wondered aloud, catching the tensai's attention. But his partner just shrugged a little, very nonchalantly.

"I lost 6-0, of course."

"Whaddya mean, 'of course'? I mean, yeah, sure, you were playing against Atobe, but…" Gakuto trailed off, unsure of what he was trying to say. Yuushi looked almost confused, as he shot Gakuto an ironic look.

"What do you mean by that, exactly? It was against Atobe. What else would you expect?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Then Gakuto realized something. "You weren't trying, were you? You never try in singles, Yuushi."

"Of course I wasn't trying," Yuushi sighed, sounding almost tired. "I was playing against _Atobe_. There's no point in exhausting myself for an exercise in futility."

"Yeah, I guess…" Gakuto just frowned, thinking to himself. Why did Yuushi never try in singles matches, anyway? Even if his opponent had been someone other than Atobe, he still wouldn't have tried. He might have won, but he wouldn't have tried. Gakuto knew his partner too well to think otherwise… But why _was_ that?

"Hey, Yuushi---" He was about to ask, when the tensai asked his own question.

"So how was the doubles match with Kabaji?"

If Gakuto hadn't known better, he would have thought that Yuushi sounded almost frustrated, but he figured that he must have heard wrong.

"Eh, it was alright, I guess. We won, anyway," Gakuto answered with a shrug. "Kabaji hits so hard that it's easy to win after awhile."

"I see," was all Yuushi said in response, which took Gakuto by surprise. Yuushi wasn't particularly talkative, but he definitely wasn't the type to answer in only two syllables, once he had bothered to open his mouth.

"Is something wrong, Yuushi?" he finally managed to ask.

"Nothing's wrong, Gakuto," was the prompt reply. And that blank expression on the tensai's face told Gakuto that it would be pointless to try to get it out of him.

So he didn't say anything at all. They walked back to the house in complete silence.

As they were walking, Gakuto wondered why it was always like this with Yuushi. Most of the time, Yuushi was a pretty easygoing person. Even if he was kind of a cynical know-it-all sometimes, he wasn't hard to get along with, and he was even fun to be around when he was in a good mood. But if something was ever bothering him, he would never explain what it was. He would just go on doing whatever he was supposed to be doing, responding to others when it was required and generally not saying much at all. And somehow, Gakuto just couldn't read his partner's face when that happened.

It was always during those times when Gakuto wondered if he even knew this person named Oshitari Yuushi.

This time was no different, as they walked along in that oppressive silence. For a moment, Gakuto almost felt as though there were a million miles of space between them, even though they were walking side by side. He wondered why he felt like that, when nothing bad had happened between them, when everything should have been perfectly normal by now. He wondered why he couldn't find something, _anything_ to say, that would close up that distance and make everything normal again.

And he wondered why it hurt so much.

"Yuushi…" He finally spoke up, once they had almost reached the back entrance of the house. But his voice sounded almost timid as it broke through the silence.

"Yuushi, did I do something wrong?" he managed, trying to sound as normal as he could. "Because if I did, I'm sor---"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Gakuto," Yuushi interrupted quietly, as they walked up the steps. Gakuto glanced briefly at the way Yuushi was taking two steps at a time, and noticed the way that he had to scramble to keep up with those long legs.

"But---"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Yuushi repeated, giving the acrobat a look that made Gakuto think twice about saying anything else.

And then Yuushi sighed a little, as he opened the door for both of them.

"It's really nothing for you to worry about, Gakuto," he said at last, much to his partner's surprise. "I'll see you at dinner, alright?"

"Um… yeah, sure," Gakuto agreed, still feeling kind of confused. But he figured that it was better to let Yuushi disappear to wherever he was going to be until dinnertime, even if Gakuto had assumed that they were going to hang out together before that. There was no point in asking him about it.

_Maybe he's just tired…?_

So Gakuto just stood there in the hall, watching as his doubles partner walked away. And all of a sudden, he got that strange dizzy feeling again, swirling somewhere above his head like some kind of warning. And he almost went running after Yuushi, but he stopped himself before he could even start.

"This is stupid," he mumbled under his breath, once Yuushi had disappeared. And it _was_ stupid, of course. He was making a big deal out of nothing. Besides, it was just Yuushi, and he would be his usual self before long, and everything would be fine, like it always was.

After all, it was stupid to make a big deal out of it. Just because he couldn't tell what was wrong with his partner, didn't mean that it was the end of the world.

… Why would it be?

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun was setting outside the large windows in the dining room, by the time all the Hyoutei Regulars had washed up and sat down to eat. Considering it was Hyoutei, and also considering that the meal had been prepared by the Atobe family servants, the meal proceeded normally… Well, as normally as it possibly could, what with all the usual interruptions and the overly elaborate display that was so typical of anything hosted by their captain.

"Um… which fork is the dessert fork, again?" Shishido was staring, perplexed, at the table setting.

"The one that's still left?" Ootori offered, attempting to be helpful.

"Yeah, but what's up with _that_ fork?" Shishido pointed to a smaller one situated above the china plate. "It's a fork, isn't it?"

"Uh… well… I'm not sure."

Atobe just rolled his eyes magnanimously. "Yes, Shishido, the smaller one is a fork. Dessert forks sometimes have only three prongs, you know."

"Why are we even using forks?" a different voice muttered.

"Do you have a concern that you would like to express to the team, Hiyoshi?"

"…"

"I didn't think so." Atobe flashed his usual smirk, and then went on eating his cake.

In a way, Gakuto couldn't help agreeing with Hiyoshi. Of course, he knew why they were eating with forks… You couldn't really use chopsticks on a cake. But the fact that they were eating cake in the first place was kind of bizarre. In Gakuto's experience, cake was either something that you only ate on special occasions, or else something that giggling girls talked about eating when they went to those frilly cafes that were getting so popular. But then again, he should have known better than to expect Atobe to shy away from anything frilly.

… In any case, he wasn't really that hungry.

"Are you finished with that, sir?" a waiter asked, somewhere above Gakuto's head, as he gave up trying to pick at it.

"Huh?… Oh, yeah," he answered quickly, leaning away from the table so that the servant could get to his plate.

It didn't take long for the other Regulars to finish, and Atobe gestured to his butler to start clearing off the table settings. They were all looking expectantly at their captain for instructions, knowing that he would have some recommendation for what they should do next. It was typical of Atobe to take charge of all their outings, but since his ideas were always interesting, nobody really minded. And even though they liked playing tennis, the Hyoutei Regulars knew that the evenings at the Atobe family cottage were always the best part of the trip.

Atobe cleared his throat, glancing around the room before he spoke. "Well, I don't know about all of you, but it's been a long day and I'd like to relax. I was thinking that we could get ready for bed…"

"Ready for _bed_?" Gakuto heard more than one voice start whining. "But it's only seven!"

"… And then we could watch a movie or two."

"Really?" Jiroh had practically leaped out of his chair.

"Now you're talking," Shishido added.

Even Gakuto had to admit that he was a little excited. The home theater in Atobe's cottage was really something else. It was almost overwhelming, but it was relaxing at the same time. Of course, the screen was huge, and the sound system was the best that money could afford… When something was blowing up, you felt like you wanted to duck. But the furniture was comfortable, with the kind of plush couches that made you just want to fall asleep on them, and when it was all dark, with nothing but the screen casting a pale light all over the room, it was easy to doze off. It was almost like being in a movie theatre and a living room at the same time.

The Regulars had already started leaving the dining room, so that they could make their way upstairs to their own rooms before heading back down to the theatre. Most of them were chattering casually among themselves, but Gakuto just followed quietly. He didn't know why, but he just didn't feel like talking today.

Maybe it was because Yuushi still wasn't saying anything, either.

_You should say something to him. Say **something**…!_

He glanced over at his partner again, but it was only a second later that Jiroh's voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Hey, Atobe, what is that piano there for, anyway?"

Gakuto's eyes instantly went to the object in question. Of course, they had all noticed the grand piano sitting in the front hall, ever since the first time they had visited Atobe's cottage. It was impossible not to notice, really. It was in an alcove of its own, near the gigantic double doors that led out to the front walk, and it was framed by three twenty-foot-tall windows draped with heavy curtains. But Gakuto couldn't remember it ever being used, though he didn't know who he would have expected to play it, either.

"What is it for, Jiroh?" Atobe gave his teammate a somewhat amused look as he repeated the question. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"Well… Nobody plays it. Is it just for decoration or something?" Jiroh asked, staring at the shining black surface of the instrument.

"I suppose so. Really, this is only here because we already have five pianos at the main house." Atobe walked slowly over to the alcove, as a few of his teammates raised their eyebrows at that extravagant answer. "It's a beautiful instrument, though. It's a shame that there's no one to play it."

The captain took a closer look, as his teammates joined him by the piano. Really, Gakuto wasn't sure why they were all interested, but… There was just something about the way Atobe was looking so intently at that shining black surface, like there was a certain thought lingering in the captain's mind, that it was impossible to not be curious about it.

"Hmm… No dust, though," Atobe said approvingly, as he softly slid back the cover and revealed the gleaming white and black keys. Carefully, he placed a hand on the piano, sliding his fingers across the keys in a simple scale. That familiarly sweet sound filled the air of the front hall, almost like a gentle breeze in spring.

"You can play the piano, Atobe?" Jiroh was staring with his mouth half open.

Atobe just shrugged in response. "My skills are average, at best. And I need the sheet music if I want to play anything… Honestly, anyone who's had a few lessons can do that much."

Here he paused, and then he shot a very significant look in another direction.

"But it takes real talent to play a piece well by heart," he said. "And I happen to know that there's someone here who can play for hours without any sheet music."

"Someone here?" a few people murmured, but Atobe answered their question almost instantly.

"Will you do us the honor of playing it, Ootori-kun?" he asked, smiling a little in his usual knowing way.

But the person in question had turned a bright pink color at the sudden request.

"A-A-Atobe…! I mean, Atobe-_san_… I mean, I don't know if I could play it… That is, if I _should_…" Ootori stammered out a completely incoherent response, even though it was obvious that he wanted to try it. "I mean, it's such a _beautiful_ grand piano, and it would be…"

"That's why it would be an honor if someone worthy of it were to play it, for once," Atobe interrupted, pulling out the bench and gesturing toward it. "Now, Ootori… You wouldn't refuse a request from your captain, would you?"

"No… No, of course not. That is, if you're sure that you don't mind, Atobe-san," Ootori murmured at last, with his eyes fixed on the instrument.

"I insist," Atobe replied, gesturing toward the bench. "Would you mind if I requested that lovely rendition of _Für Elise_ that I heard you play once?"

"No, of course not. Anything," Ootori repeated quietly, as he approached the grand piano. He looked perfectly calm now, in spite of his initial embarrassment.

… Shishido, on the other hand, looked like his eyes were about ready to pop out of his head. And Gakuto didn't really blame him.

After all, Gakuto had never even had the slightest idea that Ootori played the piano. Of course, he had noticed that the second-year often carried around a violin case after school, but he had never actually heard him play the violin, much less any other instrument. Nobody had, it seemed, except for Atobe. Apparently, he had heard Ootori play the piano before… But when had that been?

Strangely enough, it seemed like Shishido didn't know the answer to that question, either.

Ootori was sitting at the piano now, hesitating for just a moment as he looked at the instrument in front of him. And then, softly, his long fingers began to skim across the keys, first playing a few introductory notes to test the water, and then diving right into the requested song. The music was sweet and gentle, and those fingers were coaxing the tune out of that instrument with a confidence that betrayed the musician's experience. And even though Gakuto didn't know a thing about classical music, even though he had never heard the name of the song before, even though he didn't really care about beauty or aesthetics or art…

Even so, he could tell that this was beautiful music, being played by a true artist.

After the initial shock had subsided, Gakuto found himself glancing around the room, trying to see what his other teammates were thinking. He was almost surprised at how attentive they all were… But then again, he had been surprised at his own attentiveness, so maybe it wasn't that strange. Of course, Kabaji was just standing there next to Atobe, like he always did. And Hiyoshi seemed to be listening, but it was always hard to tell with him. It was obvious that Jiroh was paying attention, though. His eyes were wide open, amazed at this new discovery that someone he knew could play the piano so well… That look of excitement on his face was just too easy to read. And Shishido, of course, was still staring, his mouth open in absolute shock.

Suddenly, though, Gakuto realized that two people weren't staring. And for some reason, this was what really took him by surprise.

Atobe was standing on the other side of the instrument, very close to the pianist. And his eyes were closed, and the one hand that was resting on the top of the piano was moving slightly, involuntarily, as its owner drifted off somewhere in that haunting melody.

For some reason, this made Gakuto almost uncomfortable, and so he looked away, letting his eyes wander back to his doubles partner, who was standing next to him.

But Yuushi, too, had his eyes half-closed as he listened, standing there silently with his hands clasped behind his back. That far-off look in those dark eyes was a look that Gakuto had never even seen before. And now, amid the beautiful notes that were echoing all around him, Gakuto realized that Yuushi wasn't really standing next to him at all.

He really was a million miles away, flying on the wings of that song to some place that Gakuto could never reach. Because he couldn't understand that look on Yuushi's face… Because of that, he would never be able to read that distant expression, and he couldn't even begin to try, no matter how much he wanted to understand it. It was because of that space between them, that space that was always there, even when Gakuto tried to ignore it.

He felt his heart sinking, as he wondered where such dismal thoughts were coming from. This just wasn't like him, to think those kinds of things. It was Yuushi, after all. Yuushi was his partner, and they had been friends for years. Besides, it was just a song. It didn't mean anything. He knew Yuushi…

… He thought that he knew Yuushi…

He really didn't know him at all.

Dismayed, Gakuto tore his eyes away from his partner, forcing himself to focus again on the piano. He watched as Ootori continued to play the song, as those skillful fingers started to move slower and slower across the keys. And he finally noticed, as the second-year completed the last few notes of the song perfectly, that Ootori's eyes had also been closed while he played the song. And as the music faded, Gakuto found himself looking over Ootori's head at Shishido, who was still staring in awe at his doubles partner.

And for a brief second, Shishido looked away, and his eyes met Gakuto's. And it was with some shock that Gakuto realized that he recognized that look on his teammate's face.

Two pairs of eyes stared at each other, stunned.

In that instant, the two of them had never understood each other better.

…

_So how do you reach the unreachable?_

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was very late.

Gakuto knew that much, even though he had no real way of knowing how much time had passed since they had all settled onto the couches in Atobe's home theater. But the credits were already rolling on their second movie of the night, and half of them were in various stages of drifting off to sleep. And since the last movie had been one of those things with far too much kissing and not nearly enough explosions in it, Gakuto didn't really blame them.

Predictably, though, Yuushi wasn't asleep at all. He was sitting near Gakuto, still staring at the screen and watching as the names scrolled upward across that dark background. And he had that look in his eyes again. The distant one, the one that was making it impossible for Gakuto to read his partner's expression lately, the one that made him feel like something had jabbed him in the stomach and whispered into his brain, about some horrible fear that really just wasn't like him at _all_…

Swallowing, Gakuto wrenched his eyes away from that face, trying not to think about it.

He glanced around the room and noticed that they weren't the only ones still awake. Kabaji was just standing there behind Atobe's armchair, staring blankly ahead, exactly like he had been doing for almost five hours now. Why the gigantic second-year couldn't just sit down for a change, Gakuto had no idea, but then again, it didn't really concern him. Atobe was also awake, but was lost in some distant train of thought. Those cold blue eyes just stared off into space, almost like Yuushi's were doing.

As for Jiroh, it went without saying that he was long gone. Curled up into the armchair next to Atobe's and covered with a blanket, the star volleyer of Hyoutei was snoring slightly, with his head resting on the armrest like it was a pillow. He had been asleep even before the first movie had ended, and he hadn't stirred since then.

As for their notoriously disgruntled second-year, he was still sitting upright, on the couch farthest from Gakuto. And so the acrobat couldn't quite tell if Hiyoshi was really asleep, or if his eyes were just closed from boredom.

And then there was Shishido and Ootori. And, well, as for them…

Really, they were making Gakuto wish he could just throw up.

Of course, they were both nodding off, sitting there on the floor with their backs against a couch. And of course, they were both under the same blanket, because Ootori had offered to share, saying ridiculously transparent things like, "Oh, _no_, Shishido-san, I couldn't possibly let you go allthe way back upstairs to get your _own_ blanket. No, I absolutely _insist_ that you share mine, it's _plenty_ big enough, yes just like that, and you will let me know if I'm _hogging_ it too much, _won't_ you, Shishido-san…?"

Ugh. It was just plain disgusting. Yes, that was exactly what it was...

It was…

… It kind of was…

… It wasn't?

"Mmmrrghhh… Is it over already, or what?" Shishido rubbed lazily at his eyes, squinting in the dim light that was coming from the screen.

"Seeing as how those remarkable things called 'credits,' which customarily come after the end of a film, are rolling across the screen right now as we speak…" Atobe stood up from his armchair and smiled to himself as he finished his standard sarcastic remark.

"... It goes without saying that the movie is over."

"Shut up, Atobe," Shishido mumbled half-heartedly, leaning his head back against the couch and shutting his eyes.

Atobe reached for one of the multiple remote controllers that were sitting by his chair, and started turning on the lights and turning off the theater equipment. Several people groaned at the sudden brightness that filled the room.

"Alright, everyone, it's clearly past your bedtime," Atobe said, still smirking. "I want you all asleep in your rooms by one o'clock. Breakfast is at eight tomorrow."

There was no intelligible response, just a few incoherent grunts.

"Come on, you slackers. Up. Now."

Slowly, they all started obeying their captain, even though no one really felt like moving. Well, all of them, with the obvious exception of Jiroh. Atobe just sighed.

"Kabaji, could you carry this hopeless cause upstairs? We'll drop him off in his bed… Not that he'll remember how he got there in the morning, of course." Atobe shook his head, as Kabaji picked up Jiroh carefully and slung him over one shoulder. "I swear, sometimes it's like taking care of a drunk person."

"Of course, you'd know." Shishido snickered a little, as he forced himself to stand up.

Atobe rolled his eyes. "Honestly, one glass of wine at dinner and you're branded for life as an alcoholic… It's possible to drink without getting drunk, Shishido."

"I know that," he snapped back. "That's not what I… Oh, never mind. Forget it. Hey, Choutarou, the movie's over."

"Mmmmhhh?" The taller boy rubbed his eyes, just like his partner had before him. "Is it really?"

"Yup. And Atobe wants us in bed."

"… Shishido, you do realize that you just phrased that in a very strange manner?"

"I phrased _what_ in a---?" Shishido was about to repeat the statement with a vaguely confused expression on his face, and then he blushed bright red in the space of a nanosecond. "Atobe! That's _disgusting_."

"You're telling me. You might try picking your words more carefully next time."

"It's not my fault that your mind is always in the gutter!"

"… He says, after sleeping next to someone he has mysteriously started calling by his first name out of absolutely nowhere, not to mention flirting with so very indiscreetly on the bus ride up here…"

"Shut up, Atobe! I wouldn't go to bed with _you_, in any case."

"Such a shame that you're not into having a threesome, when ore-sama could make your illicit little affairs so much more _interesting_…"

"… That's just gross. Seriously, Atobe… _Gross_."

"It's called a joke, Shishido." And Atobe just chuckled at the horrified expression on both Shishido and Ootori's faces. "Ah, well, it's for the best, I suppose… Two's a company and three's a crowd, after all. Come, Kabaji… We shall go to my bed and have our own threesome!"

"… Usu?"

Shishido just stared, aghast, while Atobe paraded out of the room in his silk bathrobe, and Kabaji followed him with Jiroh and the blanket in tow.

"… I can't believe we just had that conversation."

"Oh, well, at least Atobe-san is only joking, right?" Ootori was folding up the blanket by this point, trying to hide his blushing face. "At least… I think he is. Isn't he?"

"He better be, 'cuz that was just awkward," And Shishido just shook his head. "Hey, Gakuto. Oshitari. You guys going to bed, or what?"

Gakuto immediately jerked to attention. For some reason, he had only been half-listening to what was going on around him, and so he was surprised to be addressed out of nowhere. He wondered where his mind had been going, but he couldn't remember…

"Oh… um… yeah," he replied, standing up and getting his things together. And he glanced over at Yuushi, but the tensai never said a word. Gakuto still wanted to say something to him, anything at all, anything that would make his partner want to talk to him again. But the words never came. In the silence, Yuushi just got up and grabbed his pillow and headed toward the door. And Gakuto felt his heart sinking somewhere down into his slippers.

_Dammit. He won't even look at me._

"Hey, Gakuto." Again, the acrobat stiffened.

"What do you want?" he snapped, glancing in Shishido's direction after Yuushi had walked out the door. He grabbed the robe that he had thrown over the back of the couch, jerking it back on over his plaid pajamas.

"Oh… nothing." Shishido hesitated for a moment, looking at his teammate almost strangely. "It's just… Are you and Oshitari in a fight or something?"

Gakuto's eyes opened wide, but he tried to keep his voice even. "What… What makes you say that?"

"Mukahi-san," Ootori broke in, with his quiet voice. "It's getting kind of hard to ignore it. You're not speaking to each other at all."

Gakuto pressed his lips together in a frown, as he turned back to the couch and gathered up his pillow and his blanket. Finally, he managed to mumble out a response.

"We're _not_ fighting. I don't know what the hell is wrong with him… But whatever it is, it's his fault."

Gakuto didn't see the way that Shishido and Ootori glanced at each other knowingly. And if he had, he wouldn't have liked it at all.

"Why don't you just ask him about it?" Shishido asked.

It was such a simple question, really. And it had been said so casually, like it was just a thought, and it _was_ a simple thought, and it was just a simple question, and anyway…

And anyway, it made Gakuto furious.

"Shut up!" he snapped, glaring right at his teammate. "It's not any of your business, you moron. And it's not like you'd know anything about it, anyway---!"

He stomped out of the room, not even once looking back at the pair. And Shishido glanced back at Ootori, and the two of them just shrugged to each other.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Gakuto couldn't go to sleep.

It was already past one o'clock, the time when Atobe had said that they were all supposed to be asleep in bed. But the only thing that the acrobat could seem to do was toss and turn all over the place… The mattress suddenly wasn't comfortable anymore, even though it had always been comfortable every other time he had slept on it. And the moon was too bright, coming in through the crack between the curtains, and the air was too warm, even though the thermostat said otherwise, and really…

Really, it didn't have anything to do with the fact that he was lonely.

Well, it _didn't_.

"This is stupid," he mumbled to himself, sitting up in bed. More than anything, he just wanted to lie down and fall asleep, and forget about anything that was bothering him, and just drift off to some place where none of it even mattered…

But he couldn't. And so he got out of bed.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he was still muttering, as he grabbed the bathrobe that was draped over a nearby chair and put it back on.

Of course, there really wasn't any particular reason for the bathrobe… The first time they had come to Atobe's cottage, they had all been amused by the fact that the maids gave them bathrobes whenever they took a shower, and so they had all started wearing them around the house during the evening. By this point, it was more a habit than anything else. But even so, there was something vaguely comforting about draping the dark red robe back over his shoulders. It was almost like the feeling he got when he zipped up the Hyoutei Regular jacket… Familiar, but still more interesting than everyday clothes.

One at a time, his feet slid into his slippers, and then he started walking toward the door. Carefully pulling at the knob, he tried to open the door without letting it squeak, and then he cautiously stepped out into the hall.

It was almost creepy, he thought… The way that long hallway looked in the stretching, yawning darkness that was slowly sucking it into its mouth…

The acrobat suppressed a shiver, and was about to decide what he wanted to do, when he heard two murmuring voices. Glancing at the hallway behind him, he could see that Ootori's door was slightly open. And without even thinking, he crept toward it, coming up alongside the door as silently as a shadow…

"--- Choutarou. I don't know. It's just that I can't make up my mind yet."

"It's okay, Shishido-san. I'm not in any hurry at all… I'm fine with waiting. I really am."

Gakuto craned his neck, trying to see inside the room. He could catch just a glimpse of Shishido, standing there in his pajamas and his bathrobe, talking earnestly with someone who was out of sight. Of course, it was obvious who the 'someone' was…

"But, Choutarou… I don't really like doing this. Making you wait, just because I don't know what I want… I mean, you're always surprising me. And sometimes… Well, sometimes it's like I can't keep up with you, you know?"

In the back of his mind, Gakuto remembered the sound of that piano music, wafting through the mansion like a secret longing.

"That's silly, Shishido-san. I'm the one who can't keep up with you."

Gakuto watched as Shishido frowned, shaking his head.

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is."

Suddenly, Gakuto saw a glimpse of the other person, as Ootori bent down and kissed Shishido on the forehead. The acrobat almost fell over. Why he was always the one who ended up witnessing these things, he didn't know… Well, he _did_ know, at least a little bit, because he wouldn't be seeing them if he didn't always staying long enough to watch…

But somehow, his feet were rooted to the floor.

"Choutarou…" The name was said very quietly, and not as gruffly as Gakuto would have expected after such a forward gesture.

"I love you, Shishido-san. That's all you have to know to keep up with me," Ootori concluded, very gently.

"Well, I can't help knowing that much," Shishido murmured. "You keep telling me, after all."

"Does that bother you?" Suddenly, Ootori was back into Gakuto's line of vision, as he stepped forward and drew his senpai into his arms.

"No!" Shishido said a little too quickly. And then he blushed, leaning slightly into his partner's embrace. "I mean, nah… It doesn't bother me."

Ootori just smiled and laughed, very softly.

And it was almost scary, the way the two of them looked so perfect like that, with Ootori's long arms wrapped around Shishido and holding him close. And Shishido's head was resting against Ootori's shoulder, at just the right height, and even though Shishido couldn't see it, Ootori was looking down on him in a way that said that he really did love his partner, the kind of look that made words completely pointless.

And suddenly, Gakuto couldn't quite call it disgusting anymore.

In fact, it was almost… beautiful.

…

"_Shishido-san, you don't mind playing doubles with me?"_

"… _Yeah, it was fun, wasn't it?"_

…

Biting his lower lip, he backed away from the door, trying to make sure that he didn't step too hard and make the floor creak. And he turned away from the door, and he looked down the hall. And he saw the open door to his room, and the rest of the hallway beyond it, stretching farther than his eyes could see, in that pitch black darkness.

And suddenly, Gakuto realized that he wanted something.

If he had thought about it, he would have wondered why he wanted it so badly, but he wasn't thinking about that now. He just started walking down the hall, almost too quickly. He couldn't help it… He could hardly keep his thoughts straight, even when he tried to think about where he was going, or exactly what he was doing once he got there…

Because right now, more than anything else, he just wanted to see Yuushi.

He didn't care about how stupid he was going to look when he woke his partner up for absolutely no good reason. He didn't care how weird Yuushi had been acting, or how he just couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence around the tensai anymore. He just wanted to see him. And so he was going to see him, right now, just as soon as his feet could carry him there. He just couldn't help it… he _had_ to see him…

Why did he want this so badly?

Gakuto's breath was coming a little faster now, as he passed door after door, looking for the one that led to Yuushi's room. And then he stopped in his tracks, right in front of a very tall door with an ornate brass handle.

He swallowed nervously. This was it.

If his thoughts hadn't been going a mile a minute, Gakuto might have noticed the way that his hand was shaking when he gripped the handle and turned it to one side. But he didn't notice it at all… He was staring much too intently in front of him, waiting with the most painful kind of suspense, as the door slowly swung open without a sound… and…

And…

…

And the world had frozen into place, in a single gasping breath.

If Gakuto had been able to think about it, he would have wondered what was so shocking about what he was seeing. He had expected Yuushi to be asleep, of course, and that was reasonable enough. And he had been wrong; Yuushi wasn't asleep at all. But that wasn't what had stolen the steadily beating rhythm right out of his heart.

Perfection.

It was a horrible cliché, and Gakuto knew it. He was painfully aware of it… But there was no other word that he could have used to describe the picture that was right in front of him. He was almost positive that it couldn't be real. He would have been completely sure of it, except that this perfection could move and breathe, and the picture was slowly changing before his very eyes.

Oshitari Yuushi was standing in front of the huge picture window in his room, with the curtains flung back, and the moonlight was pouring all over him like a luminescent waterfall. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and the skin on his broad shoulders was glowing a pale blue in the moonlight. And Gakuto could see that he wasn't wearing his glasses anymore, and his eyes were gleaming as brightly as the moon itself, which shone above his head in a perfectly round sphere.

And this living, breathing picture was completely silent, awash in a thousand beautiful shades of blue, and Gakuto felt so lightheaded that he could barely stand.

_Yuushi._

He was aching to call out that name, as loudly as he could, longing to break this perfect picture that was playing out in front of him. But his partner hadn't even noticed when the door opened, and that single name was stuck like a nail in Gakuto's throat. And so he watched, painfully, as Yuushi took a few steps closer to the window and brought his hand up against the glass…

No words could describe what Gakuto was feeling. He was speechless.

Time stood still in that moment, and Gakuto would never remember afterwards just how long he been there, watching Yuushi gaze up at the moon. But in that time, all the fears that he had been trying to ignore, the ones that he had never really understood, finally became clear to him. All in that one horribly frozen moment…

Now Gakuto knew that he had been right.

There was no reason at all for Yuushi to be tied down to him. That man shouldn't have been playing doubles in a lopsided partnership. In fact, he shouldn't have been playing doubles at all… This free spirit that no one could grasp should hardly even have been playing on a tennis team, with all the structure and drudgery that it entailed, much less in a mediocre combination that only stifled his limitless talents.

And Gakuto was right about something else, too…

He would never be able to understand Oshitari Yuushi.

Looking at that breathtaking person, who was standing there against the light of the moon, he could see that he would never be able to get close enough to know what thoughts were haunting that brilliant mind. He would never be able to read that beautifully distant expression that came so often into those dark blue eyes. He would never know the most secret feelings that were hidden somewhere inside that heart, the heart that was beating steadily within that bare chest…

No, he never would.

He couldn't reach something so unreachable.

This wasn't exactly what Gakuto was thinking, of course. His brain had practically stopped working ever since he had opened the door. But it was exactly what he was feeling, those thoughts that didn't have any words, those fears that were taking hold of his heart and gripping it like they would never let go. And he just couldn't ignore it anymore.

_I can't… I can't reach him._

Gakuto only dimly felt the way he was stepping back into the hall and shutting the door, once the spell had worn off just enough for him to finally break free of it. But as soon as he was in the hall again, as soon as he could breathe again, as soon as he could think clearly once again…

All that he could feel was pain.

As he stumbled back toward his room, he couldn't understand what was wrong with him. His thoughts were swimming around above his head, in twisted, mixed-up fragments that didn't make any sense at all…

_Playing doubles. Of course not. It's just like the shoelaces. Shoelaces always break… But it's better to tie them. It's better at first, anyway… _

_But then people call you a drama queen, when you're not, and then everything breaks up, because other people break it. It all breaks apart. Breaks, breaking… _

_Gold doesn't break, of course. Of course not. And then they yell at you, just because gold doesn't break and you do. And there's no mathematical process for finding an unknown, so you give up trying to prove it, because you're not even an equilateral triangle, and you're always trying to prove that you are one when you aren't… _

_And you apologize, and it doesn't matter, because he doesn't say anything to you anyway. And the moon hurts like hell, and then you want to fall asleep and never, ever wake up again, because the moon won't be there when you wake up, and you hate the moon more than anything, but you want the moon anyway. You want it like hell, and you want to fly up to it, and then you fall down and you break into a hundred thousand million pieces…_

Gakuto couldn't even figure out what he was trying to do, when he walked up to his door and pushed on it, fumbling at the handle even though it was already open. And then he finally gave up, staggering across the floor and collapsing onto his bed.

And then it happened. The tears came.

_God, no… Stop it. Just stop… This is stupid… You stupid---!_

He buried his face in the pillow, trying to muffle those humiliating, choked-up, gasping noises. Why was he crying like this, anyway? It was just so stupid. Even if it hurt, it was still stupid. It was the stupidest thing he had ever done, in fact, crying like a three-year-old who wanted the moon…

… But he wanted Yuushi, and he could never have him.

The sobs quieted almost instantly, as Gakuto forced his tears to stop coming. But the aching feeling that was throbbing in his chest never went away. He knew it was ridiculous, and pointless, and useless… He knew that he should just forget about, that he should just ignore it. Just like they always did, him and Yuushi… They loved to ignore it, when they sneered at everybody else and rolled their eyes at passionate people and pretended like everything was alright, just as long as they ignored it…

Why was it so impossible to ignore now?

Completely exhausted, Gakuto finally fell asleep, lying there on top of the blankets. And his dreams were full of moonlight and romance movie credits and a smooth, deep voice that said his name over and over again, like a perfectly broken record.

**-End of Chapter Seven-**


	8. Delayed Reaction

**A/N: **Here's Chapter Eight, finally! This one was very interesting to write… Trying to explain what's going on in Yuushi's head is always a challenge. XD Please enjoy the chapter! And just to let you all know, this fic will be ten chapters long, so I will be writing the final two chapters asap. (As always, though, schoolwork will be thwarting my every attempt.) Thank you so much to all my reviewers! You guys really encourage me to keep going. **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames are ignored.

**Warning:** Shonen-ai/slash/BL/yaoi/whatever-you-call-it.

--------------------------

**Chapter Eight: Delayed Reaction**

"_There are some times when the truth comes too late."_

…

Oshitari Yuushi couldn't sleep.

Gazing up at the full moon above his head, he wondered why he was feeling so restless. He had tried to go to sleep, but he had done nothing except toss and turn for almost an hour. He had finally given up, rising from his bed and walking to the huge picture window, pulling the curtains back so that the cool moonlight flooded into the room. And he had breathed something like a sigh of relief, now that he didn't feel like the darkness was smothering him.

He couldn't help wondering what was wrong with him.

Of course, he had gone on this trip to Atobe's cottage reluctantly. He had been apprehensive of getting involved in what appeared to be yet another one of their captain's signature schemes, and as to what this particular scheme might entail, Yuushi didn't have the slightest clue. But in the end, he had gone without much in the way of protest… It was pointless to resist Atobe, as a general rule, and anyway, Yuushi didn't really know what he was resisting. So he had relented, and now here he was, staying with his fellow teammates in a house that was so huge it really had no right to be called a "cottage."

And by this point, he was genuinely regretting his decision.

He couldn't explain it, really, at least not in words. But ever since they had left on this trip, Yuushi had been feeling like something was really wrong, something that he couldn't express even to himself. And it wasn't just that vague feeling that something was wrong somewhere in all of this scheduled chaos, that something about this trip was just a little off in some strange way…

No, the something that was wrong was _him_.

He had tried to ignore it at first, thinking that maybe it would go away on its own. He wasn't really a moody person, but he knew that some feelings could pass without consequence, so long as he just left them alone. But this feeling was different; this feeling was…

He didn't know what this feeling was.

…

"_Is something wrong, Yuushi?"_

…

Yuushi frowned to himself, trying to think about something else. But somehow, he just couldn't get his mind off of it. And the truth was simple, so simple that he couldn't even try to ignore it. Yes, the truth was…

The truth was that he couldn't stop thinking about Gakuto.

And that was why he couldn't sleep.

Frowning to himself, Yuushi took a few steps closer to the window, still staring at the shining moon above him. The strange thing was, he didn't really have words to describe the kinds of feelings that had been bothering him all day long. He had never really felt them before, in any context at all. And so he didn't know what to make of the way that his heart would sink, when Gakuto made a typically careless comment, the kind that usually never even caught his attention…

…

"_I don't know how you can stand those things, Yuushi."_

"_Eh, it was alright, I guess. We won, anyway."_

"_You weren't trying, were you? You never try in singles, Yuushi."_

…

Why was every little thing that Gakuto said sticking in his mind lately?

It wasn't just things that the acrobat had said, either. Yuushi couldn't explain the strange feelings that would fill his entire consciousness, when he glanced over during the times when Gakuto wasn't paying attention to him. He would notice the oddest little things about his partner then, like how small Gakuto's fingers were, as they gripped the cap of a water bottle and twisted it firmly off of the plastic. Or how his partner's fingernails were practically nonexistent, because the acrobat had a nervous habit of biting them when he was doing schoolwork. And then he would start thinking about how much that was like Gakuto, and how such a childish habit was really kind of cute…

And then Gakuto would take a drink, and Yuushi would look away, afraid that his partner might notice him staring and ask him about it.

And always in that brief moment after he had looked away, but only for that moment, Yuushi would know that he was in trouble. He didn't know what he was feeling, but he knew that it was nothing but trouble… But then he would stubbornly push that knowledge out of his mind, sitting there in silence until he accidentally glanced at Gakuto again.

And he just couldn't bring himself to stop thinking like this, and when he wasn't looking at Gakuto, the whole boring world didn't even matter to him, and so he wasn't saying a word to anyone on this trip, and people were starting to notice that, and he didn't want them to notice, and Gakuto was even hurt by it, and Yuushi could tell that he was hurt and he didn't want to hurt him, but he couldn't even explain what was bothering him…

It was driving him insane.

Yuushi sighed to himself, trying not to think about it. It didn't help to think about it… He knew that much by now. It only made everything worse, and he couldn't really ignore it as it was. He couldn't risk making it even harder on himself, not when he was going to have to get it together tomorrow, together enough to get through practice without catching anyone's attention…

Practice.

Yuushi's face fell into a definite frown.

That had been one of the worst parts of that day, at least for Yuushi. He had been suspecting Atobe of having some kind of twisted scheme even before they left on the trip, but he hadn't expected to get stuck playing singles for the first practice session. And something in him had hated every minute of it, and it wasn't because the captain himself had been his opponent. No, Yuushi couldn't have cared less about his own match, and his score of 0-6 had clearly reflected that…

What Yuushi had hated was watching Gakuto in the nearby court.

His partner had been playing doubles with another partner, and he had actually won his match without much trouble. And the redhead had been acting like his usual, carefree self, and Gakuto hadn't been himself around Yuushi at all lately, and Yuushi almost resented the fact that it had been so easy for Gakuto to win a doubles match without him. And the truth was… well, the truth was…

The truth was that Yuushi had been jealous.

_Oh, god._

Who in the hell was he jealous of, anyway? It was just ridiculous. Yuushi had never, ever been jealous before, not of anyone, and there wasn't really anyone to be jealous of now. Certainly not of Gakuto's temporary partner, anyway… Kabaji didn't have anything to do with the situation, not really, even though he was probably the reason that it had been easy for Gakuto to win. But Yuushi knew better than to be jealous of that mindless hulk.

Well, maybe he was jealous of Gakuto, then. Maybe he was jealous because it seemed so easy for the acrobat to be his normal self, with or without Yuushi there on the court beside him… Whereas Yuushi couldn't play tennis with any resolve at all, not unless he was keeping track of Gakuto during a doubles match. Or maybe he wasn't jealous of anyone in particular. Maybe he was just jealous, because he wasn't where he wanted to be, and he hardly knew why he wanted to be there so badly.

And Yuushi sighed again. And he wondered why all he could seem to do was stare up at the moon and sigh, instead of going to sleep like any sane person would be doing.

Slowly, he brought his hand up to the window pane, as if he was trying to touch that perfect white orb with his fingertips. And he tried not to feel, and he tried not to think…

And for a moment, everything was peaceful.

Suddenly, he didn't feel quite so wrong anymore. Those feelings that he didn't understand hadn't gone away, but in this moment, he almost didn't mind. There was something about the moon, something about the way that it was glowing up there in the night's embrace, that was almost comforting. For a moment, it was almost as if the moon was confiding something to him, a certain secret that it held, up there in the omniscient sky…

_Not the first. _

_You're not the first._

His fingertips moved against the glass, just slightly, as he tried to listen to this silent voice that was whispering somewhere inside his imagination…

Suddenly, his head turned toward the door behind him, and the spell was broken. He frowned a little, staring at the closed door. He almost thought that he had heard something, a small sound that had just barely caught his attention, coming from that direction.

But no one was there.

His eyes lingered on that door, and then he shrugged a little to himself. He walked over to his bedside, picking up his pajama top and sliding his arms into it. He buttoned it up, somewhat carelessly, and then he grabbed the dark blue bathrobe off of his chair, putting it on over his pajamas. And he slid his feet into the pair of his slippers by his bed, and he headed for the door.

Once he was outside his room, he glanced up and down the hallway, but he didn't see anyone. He thought that he heard the sound of a doorknob turning, but he couldn't tell where it had come from. And he was going to go back into his room, but then he paused for a moment.

His eyes wandered back down that hall, and he heard that fragile whisper in his head…

_Don't go back… You want something._

And Yuushi smiled a little wryly to himself. Well, it wasn't like he was getting any sleep, anyway. So why not?

He started walking down the hall, passing door after door, until he noticed something rather strange.

There was a light on inside one of the rooms.

_That's odd._

After all, Atobe had told them all that they had to be in bed by one o'clock, and it was quite a bit past that deadline. As a general rule, they were all careful to listen to Atobe in his own house, since nobody really wanted to find out the consequences of disobeying the captain on his home turf. And so it seemed strange that someone would be so defiant toward Atobe's commands…

Of course, it made more sense when Yuushi remembered that this particular door was the entrance to Atobe's room.

_What is he doing awake?_

Somehow, Yuushi couldn't help feeling curious about this. It made sense that Atobe would feel entitled to stay up later than the rest of them. But then again, Yuushi had no idea what their captain would be doing at two in the morning, and he couldn't help wondering what the answer to that question might be. And so he crept a little closer to the door, which was cracked open just enough for a shaft of light to cut across the hall. And he could hear a voice speaking quite clearly inside that bedroom …

"No, it's not a problem at all. I don't need his approval right now. … Well, that's true enough. But he would be paying more attention if we were still in the running. As it is, he's given me free reign until the invitations are announced."

Yuushi frowned to himself. There was only one voice in there, the expectedly self-assured one that should have been coming from that bedroom, and so he had to conclude that Atobe was on the telephone.

But why was he on the telephone at two in the morning?

He leaned in a little closer, trying to see through that small opening. And sure enough, there was Atobe, sitting up in his enormous bed with a receiver held to one ear. He was sitting at an angle, so Yuushi couldn't see his facial expression as he continued to talk.

"Yes, I know that. I'll uphold my end of the bargain. But you owe me one, you know."

Atobe paused for a moment, presumably to listen to the person on the other line, and then he chuckled.

"We'll see about that. You're extremely confident when it comes to him, aren't you? … Yes, well, same to you. I'll give you a report once we've finished with them."

And Atobe chuckled again, and his conclusion made the tensai's eyes widen in surprise behind the door.

"Aüf Wiedersehen, Tezuka."

And the captain hung up the phone on the dressing table by his bed, and Yuushi backed away from the door, not wanting to risk being seen.

He stood there for a moment, waiting in the shadows to see what Atobe would do, but it wasn't long before the light in that room went out, and Yuushi had to assume that the captain of Hyoutei had gone to bed. And now the questions started racing through the tensai's mind.

_What in the hell…?_

Why had Atobe been talking on the phone with Tezuka Kunimitsu, of all people? Seigaku's captain was supposed to be in Germany, going through rehabilitation for an injury that Atobe himself had caused. And now Atobe was chatting on the phone with the man, almost like they were old friends, and talking cryptically about deals and reports, and evidently going behind their coach's back with something…

Was this Atobe's scheme? Yuushi would have never guessed that it was something like that. He had expected it to be some kind of underhanded trick, like the stunt he had pulled with the intramural challenges by mixing up the playing order at the last minute. He would have expected something that involved the whole team and threw them all for a loop, something they weren't allowed to question, something they would just have to go along with regardless of their own opinions, which was typical of all of Atobe's strange plans.

But Yuushi would have never expected that Atobe was going behind all their backs, getting involved with Seigaku, of all teams, and making some deal with the very captain that Yuushi had always assumed that Atobe despised…

There was something really strange about all of this. And Yuushi didn't like it one bit.

_No… Don't think about it. Just pretend like you never even heard it._

He took a few steps down the hall, intending to go back to bed and try to forget what he had heard. He didn't want to think about anything involving an Atobe brand scheme, not when the last one had ended up the way that it did. He and Gakuto were still reeling from the blow that had resulted from that one… Even now, he hardly knew what he was doing, wandering around in a dark hallway at two in the morning, because he couldn't go to sleep like the rest of the team already had…

And why? Just because of two losses and a lecture on a horrible day in the Kantou tournament?

He shook his head and started to walk down the hallway, thinking that he really would just go back to bed, after all. And then he stopped again, as a new thought entered his head.

Was that really why he felt like this?

Or was there another reason…?

…

_Yuushi was staring at his doubles partner in complete astonishment, as the acrobat stood across the net from him and actually laughed out loud. They had been rallying back and forth as a warm up before practice, sometime during their second year as members of the Hyoutei tennis club._

"_What's wrong, Yuushi? You look like you've seen a ghost."_

_Yuushi just raised his eyebrows at that. He couldn't believe what he had seen._

"_Gakuto, you do know that you just returned the Higuma Otoshi, right?"_

_A proud smile spread across the acrobat's face, but he just shook his red hair in reply._

"_I didn't actually return it, you know… It was way out. I could never actually return that thing. The angle is just too weird."_

"_But you got your racket on it," Yuushi murmured, still fixated on this bizarre phenomena, for reasons he couldn't quite explain._

_Gakuto just shrugged. "It was just luck, really. It's only 'cuz I can jump high enough to reach it."_

_And Yuushi just shook his head, not sure what he was feeling at the moment._

"_I swear, Gakuto, sometimes it's like you can fly."_

…

Suddenly, Yuushi wasn't so sure that Atobe's schemes had anything at all to do with how he was feeling.

Of course, it had thrown them both off at the time. And everything had been awkward between them since those terrible losses, and Yuushi had hated every minute of it. But was that really the cause of the problem? Or was it…

…

"_You both can just ignore it, like you always do."_

…

Or was it because he just couldn't ignore it anymore?

Yuushi turned his head, glancing back down the hall. And now, for the first time that he could ever remember, he couldn't ignore what he wanted. He just couldn't ignore that whispering voice inside his head any longer, the one that he hadn't even realized was there in the first place.

_Don't ignore it. Don't go back._

So he walked straight up to Gakuto's bedroom door, and as he entered the room, his heart skipped a beat…

…

It was very dark in that room, and very quiet, as Yuushi stepped inside the doorway with something like hesitation. He walked forward as carefully as he could, waiting for his eyes to adjust to his surroundings. And in that darkness, he could only make out one single thing, with all five of his senses…

He could hear the gentle sound of someone breathing.

A smile slipped onto the tensai's mouth, as he came up alongside the bed and looked down onto the mattress. Sure enough, there was Gakuto, fast asleep with his head halfway buried in his pillow. And for a moment, Yuushi couldn't do anything except look at him, watching the way his partner's chest rose and fell as he breathed.

In that moment, words could not have expressed what he felt.

After a full minute, Yuushi was surprised to notice that Gakuto was sleeping on top of the blankets, as though he had been too careless to actually get settled into bed.

_That Gakuto…_

The tensai shook his head a little, still smiling, and walked over to the open closet door. He came back with an extra blanket, unfolding it and silently spreading it over his partner's small form. He stood there for a little while longer, and then he sat down on a chair next to the bed, just looking at Gakuto…

He wondered why he couldn't seem to stop looking at him.

It was an idea that Yuushi knew that no one else would understand, but he couldn't help thinking that there was something about Gakuto that was almost beautiful. The way that brilliant red hair framed his partner's pale face was striking, even in such a dark room. It was with mild surprise that Yuushi suddenly realized that he had always thought so. And then there were those long, dark eyelashes, and those pale pink lips, and as Yuushi was looking at that sleeping face, he discovered that "beautiful" wasn't even the word, the word that he had been trying to think of for the longest time, without even knowing it…

Adorable.

That was what it was. Gakuto was adorable.

And the tensai smiled almost helplessly to himself.

…

"_Stupid Yuushi. Stupid, stupid, **stupid** Yuushi…"_

…

Yuushi's head was resting in his hands now, as he finally allowed himself to think about how much trouble he was in. He wasn't going to be able to finesse his way out of this one, not this time. He couldn't escape his own feelings, or run away from his own thoughts, or talk his way out of the urges of his heart…

No, he was really in trouble now.

Of course, he had always suspected that he felt strongly about the partnership that he shared with Gakuto. After all, it was the only thing that had convinced him to keep playing tennis in junior high.

But he hadn't suspected that what he really felt for Gakuto was something other than friendship.

_When did this happen…?_

Yuushi had no idea how long he had felt like this. He couldn't remember when it had started, because until now, he had always ignored it. It hadn't been there when they had first met… Yuushi was fairly certain of this assumption. But now, he realized that it had been there before the Kantou tournament. Yes, somewhere in that space between those two times, Yuushi's feelings toward his partner had become something completely different from what he had thought they were.

And this was why he couldn't let go of the partnership they shared. This was why he only played doubles. This was… this was…

_Damn it._

This wasn't good.

But he looked back at Gakuto, and he almost didn't care. Of course, this was going to be nothing but trouble for him, but when he looked at that face, he didn't really care about himself at all…

Without even realizing what he was doing, he stood up and leaned over the mattress, stooping to give his partner a kiss on the forehead. And his lips brushed across that smooth skin…

For a moment, Yuushi could have sworn he was up in the sky, and he hardly knew what he was thinking anymore.

_Why does it feel like this? I can't come back down. Oh, god… Don't make me come down. Just fly up after me, Gakuto…_

_You can step on both my feet, if you want… You can do anything you want to me once you get here, anything at all. Just don't stop trying._

_Don't stop trying to reach me._

Yuushi covered his own mouth with his hand, as if he was feeling for that kiss, trying to will his mind to stop thinking about it. It was that same painful sensation that he had felt when he had dropped his sister's manuscript all over his bedroom, like his mind was slowly breaking apart, slowly losing the ability to think with any sort of logic at all…

He took a deep breath, and the sensation vanished. But his heart felt almost sore, and he knew that his feelings hadn't changed. No, he was still in trouble…

But like a fool, he didn't really care.

"Goodnight, Gakuto," he murmured at last, pausing for a moment as he gazed at that adorable face.

And with silent steps, he walked out of his partner's bedroom, closing the door gently behind him.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"_We only play doubles… Isn't that right, Yuushi?"_

…

It was a horribly beautiful morning, Yuushi thought as he drew back the curtains.

The tensai might have simply called it a beautiful morning, if he hadn't had a vague feeling that something ominous was hanging in all the sun-soaked air that was streaming through the window into his bedroom. But he shrugged it off, focusing instead on just how blue that endless sky looked, stretching far beyond the shining panes of glass. And he smiled a little, trying to remember why he felt almost weightless, as he stared up into the distant heavens…

And then he remembered, and his smile vanished.

_Gakuto._

This was going to be a problem.

Of course, if anyone could gracefully navigate through this situation, Yuushi certainly could. It wouldn't be that difficult for him to act like nothing had changed between him and Gakuto… After all, the truth was that nothing really had changed between them, at least not yet. Yuushi had realized that he had feelings for his partner, but Gakuto didn't know that. And as long as he hid it properly, there was no reason why Gakuto would find out. And then Yuushi could take his time, and get a feel for the situation before actually making a move…

As long as he hid it properly…

He almost laughed out loud at his self-doubt. Of course he could hide it. He was always hiding his personal views from his teammates, and it wasn't difficult, not by any stretch of the imagination. And there was absolutely no reason why this matter should be any different.

No, absolutely no reason at all.

It didn't take very long for Yuushi to get dressed and start heading down to breakfast. It was still about twenty minutes before eight, so he had plenty of time, even by Atobe's comically strict standards. Of course, the truth was that there was no real penalty for showing up to breakfast late, except perhaps being subject to a verbose lecture from their captain on the importance of punctuality. So he made his way down the hall at his usual, indifferent pace.

It was, however, with some vague sense of confusion that he regarded the other two people who had just entered the hallway through another bedroom door.

"Kabaji-kun… What are you _doing_?"

He couldn't help asking it, even as he pushed his glasses up with something like disbelief at the sight that had appeared before his eyes. Kabaji turned toward him, regarding him with nothing more than a blank stare, as he shifted the weight of the load in his arm.

Jiroh was dangling over Kabaji's shoulder, fast asleep, still wearing his blue and white striped pajamas.

Since Kabaji wasn't replying to his question, Yuushi just sighed, crossing his arms in contemplation. "Let me guess… Atobe sent you up here to get Jiroh."

"Usu."

"You know, I think he meant that you should wake him up first…" Yuushi said this rather slowly, noticing the way the second-year looked almost perplexed about something.

"Usu."

"… You can't get him to wake up." Yuushi finally deduced this after a moment.

"Usu."

"Did you try splashing water on his face?" Yuushi offered, as helpfully as he could, even while he privately wondered how he had ended up being friends with such a strange group of people.

Kabaji was silent for a moment, and then he took Jiroh back down the hallway, presumably to take him into one of the guest bathrooms in order to carry out Yuushi's suggestion.

"Well, hopefully, he won't drown him…"

Yuushi just shook his head, as he walked leisurely down the stairs. As he did, he gradually became aware of the gentle sound of piano music wafting through the front hall, and sure enough, there was Ootori sitting on the piano bench, playing away. And Shishido was sitting next to him, right there on the bench, and Ootori was trying to teach him a simple harmony part to some easy beginner's song, and Shishido was completely failing at his attempts to play it.

But the only thing that Yuushi really noticed was the way they were both smiling and laughing together, and that part was in perfect harmony.

"Good morning, Oshitari-senpai!" The tensai was greeted brightly by Ootori as he finished descending the stairs, as the pair looked up from the piano keys at the same time.

"Good morning," he replied calmly, briefly noting how the two were sitting there with practically no space between them, even though there was room for them to spread out.

"Hey, Oshitari. 'Sup?" Shishido offered, smiling almost as brightly as his partner was, despite the more casual tone of his salutation.

"Nothing, really…" Yuushi paused for a moment, thinking to himself. "Is everyone else awake?"

Ootori and Shishido glanced at each other, but the meaningful look in their eyes was gone almost instantly, and Yuushi hadn't been able to read it.

"I'm not sure, Oshitari-senpai," Ootori answered at last. "I know Atobe-san is in the library right now. And I saw Mukahi-senpai earlier, but I don't know where he went…"

Yuushi successfully concealed any particular interest he may have felt toward the last piece of information, and just shrugged casually in response.

"I see. Well, I'll leave you two to your little duet, in any case."

He smirked slightly at Shishido's embarrassed expression, as the shorter boy mumbled, "It's not much of a duet when I'm playing it."

"That's not true, Shishido-san. Nobody can play it perfectly the first time," Ootori replied sweetly.

"Yeah, right. I bet that you were always good…"

"No, I really wasn't, Shishido-san…"

Oshitari left the two of them in their own world, which they seemed to be entering more and more often lately. As he strolled through a side passage, he wasn't completely sure where he was headed, but he had some vague conviction that he was going to the library to see if Atobe was there. If nothing else, he could ask Atobe where Gakuto was… And if he was feeling particularly courageous, he might force himself to mention that he had overheard that incredibly suspicious conversation the night before.

…

"_Aüf Wiedersehen, Tezuka."_

…

Yuushi shook his head slightly, as he passed door after door. He didn't know why Atobe had been talking with Tezuka Kunimitsu at two o'clock in the morning, but it was an entirely irregular phenomenon that deserved some kind of explanation. He figured it would at least create some justified discomfort for the self-absorbed captain if he revealed his accidental knowledge of the matter, even if he didn't actually get the deserved explanation because of it. And anyway, it was time to let that overly presumptuous Atobe know that someone was on to his little scheme…

"… This is certainly an unexpected request, especially coming from you, Gakuto."

Yuushi froze in place, right in the middle of the hallway.

"I'm serious, Atobe. I really mean it."

Of course, the tensai instantly recognized his partner's voice, which sounded almost far away and yet was still perfectly audible. And Yuushi's heart began to beat faster, for a reason that he couldn't really explain, as he tried to figure out where the conversation was coming from. The library door was in front of him, off to his right side…

Coming up alongside the open door, he listened carefully. Sure enough, Atobe was in the library, and Gakuto was in there with him, which he could tell from the direction and volume of their voices.

… But why was Gakuto talking with Atobe?

"You've never expressed any dissatisfaction with the situation before."

Atobe's voice spoke with its customarily cool tone, but there was a faint hint of surprise in it that Yuushi would not have expected in a typical conversation.

"I know that. But… I really don't want to. Not anymore."

Gakuto's voice, on the other hand, sounded very strange and was completely different from his usual way of talking. He seemed very quiet, almost hesitant… Yuushi frowned as he tried to imagine what kind of expression would be on his partner's face, to accompany that odd tone. But he couldn't picture it at all.

It almost reminded Yuushi of that time when he and Gakuto had been standing in front of his house, and he had said the wrong thing, and Gakuto had run away from him…

"Shouldn't you be discussing this with Oshitari?"

Yuushi didn't notice the way he sucked in his own breath slightly at the mention of his name.

… Why was his heart beating so fast?

There was a terrible pause, and Yuushi had to strain to hear Gakuto's reply, it was muttered so quietly.

"I don't care. I don't want to talk to him."

There was no sinking feeling in Yuushi's chest this time. Instead, those mumbled words sent a sharp pang straight into his heart.

Of course, he had never liked it when Gakuto had made a point of ignoring him. But he had never heard Gakuto say out loud that he didn't want to talk to him. No, every time that Gakuto had ignored Yuushi in the past, he had given him a chance to make it right again…

There was another pause, shorter this time, and then Atobe spoke again.

"Let me get this straight… You want me to make multiple changes to our roster and rearrange our entire strategy, just because you are suddenly discontent with something that has been in place for over two years now…"

The words kept coming as Atobe continued to speak, but they only started to swim around Yuushi's head in a general state of confusion, as the tensai's mind started going a mile a minute with the realization of what they must have been talking about.

_Over two years…_

… _In place for over two years…_

…

"_I think you two should play doubles together."_

"… _If we're going to play doubles, you're going to have to keep up with me."_

"_I'll keep up with you. You can bet on that."_

…

"_Of course, if it were us, we would beat them. Wouldn't we, Yuushi?"_

"_Leave it to me, Gakuto."_

…

"_So, you two want to play doubles together? Are you sure about that?""_

"… _This is all that we can expect from your partnership."_

…

"Shut up, Atobe!" Gakuto's voice suddenly broke into Yuushi's train of thought. The acrobat almost sounded like he was in pain…

"I don't care what you think, and I don't care what you say… I don't want to play doubles with Yuushi anymore!"

…

… It wasn't silver, and it certainly wasn't gold.

It wasn't either of those precious metals, but when it finally broke apart for good, Yuushi could have sworn that his heart was lying there, spread out among all the shards.

It was all there. That first time that they had met on the court, when they had first decided to play doubles… All of the hours they had practiced together, learning the techniques of the game and trying to perfect their favorite strategies… Every single grueling match that they had played over the course of the past three tennis seasons…

It was lying there on the ground, shattered.

…

"_I wonder how long you can afford to keep playing around like this? … You're going to lose it."_

…

And the worst of it wasn't that it was gone for good. No, the worst of it was…

Gakuto had broken it himself.

After everything that they had been through together, Gakuto had been the one to break it.

"… We shouldn't be partners anymore, anyway…"

Yuushi hardly realized that Gakuto was still talking to Atobe, who was apparently listening to the acrobat's insistence without any protest at all. But it didn't matter; it was all somewhere over his head…

"… would be better if you pair me with someone else in the next competition…"

He was barely comprehending the words that his partner was speaking so emphatically. But he somehow understood exactly what was happening, as Gakuto proposed the same thing that everyone had always assumed would be a much more sensible arrangement, the one that Yuushi had fought against for as long as he had believed that Gakuto would have fought with him…

"… Yuushi would make a really good singles player."

The tensai didn't hear another word, and his feet began carrying him far away from that open door, as the awful reality began to permanently sink into his consciousness. He took step after step, not caring who or what saw him as he weaved through the hallway, climbed up the stairs, and marched straight past every single door, every single teammate, every single disappointment that surrounded him.

And he was back in his bedroom after all of this, and he locked the door behind him, and he did not go down to breakfast, even when Atobe attempted to call for him over the intercom. And in that time, what he truly felt about that important thing that had just been shattered into a thousand pieces was fully expressed, a secret that he would only ever share with those devoutly silent walls.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Oshitari Yuushi had never been so furious in all in his life.

He wasn't the only one who was aware of this fact, either. After breakfast, Atobe had announced over the intercom that it was time for practice, and Yuushi had taken his tennis racquet, walked down the stairs, and joined his teammates on the court without saying a single word. No one had said anything to him about his absence at breakfast, apparently sensing that he didn't want to be asked, and Atobe had calmly proceeded to assign each player to a hitting partner for a warm up exercise.

"You'll play out a short set against your assigned opponent. First one to six games is exempt from extra laps during our afternoon run," he had said.

Well, Yuushi was playing out that set right now. And he was doing it with all the frustration that he was feeling, because the hurt from what he had overheard that morning had almost completely dissolved by this point. Instead, it had given way to an anger that was getting worse with each passing minute, and was quickly reaching an almost murderous rage.

At least, that's what it must have seemed like to Yuushi's unfortunate opponent, because Hiyoshi was staring at him with something like dismay as Yuushi finished off the fifth game of the set. So far, the second-year hadn't scored a single point against him.

And if Yuushi had cared enough to notice, he would have realized that every last one of his teammates was staring at him as well.

As it was, he hardly gave Hiyoshi a nod before serving the ball for the sixth game. And he continued to play out the point, winning it in only a matter of seconds, and then moving to the other side of the court to serve the next ball. He won this point on a service ace, and moved again to the other side. He didn't really care about how he was playing; all he could feel was a smoldering anger in his chest that was only burning hotter with every ball he hit.

The only thing that he could think about was how betrayed he felt. Nothing else mattered.

But if he could have seen himself through his teammates' eyes, he would have understood why they were staring at him. This was the first time that any of them had seen Oshitari Yuushi play like this. The tensai had thrown his usual caution to the wind, and he was hitting with such powerful force that he was overwhelming a perfectly competent adversary. What's more, the glass lenses on his face couldn't hide the fire that was blazing in his normally cool eyes. Every single point that he played was a perfect union of physical strength and precise strategy, nothing less than a work of genius from an unusually gifted player.

And the effect of this unhinged aggression in a person who had always made a habit of hiding his true potential was nothing short of breathtaking.

As for Yuushi, he was completely unaware of this reality, but he was vaguely aware of the current state of his own mind. It was almost a relief, because the pain from that morning had already faded away, and with it had disappeared that awful feeling that his logical capabilities had been disintegrating into nothing. No, the power of his analytical skills had returned in full force now, and it was with an ice-cold clarity that his mind was evaluating every stroke that his opponent hit and directing his body to act accordingly.

And the fire and the ice were mingling together, over and over again in a single motion, as he hit every coolly calculated shot with scathing intensity.

He didn't even bother to call out the score as he walked over to the ad court, taking every step with an almost terrifyingly calm composure. He didn't have to call out the score. He knew that it was match point, and Hiyoshi knew that it was match point. Everyone knew that it was match point. And Yuushi took a deep breath, leaning back and throwing the ball into the painfully blue sky…

…

"_I don't want to play doubles with Yuushi anymore!"_

…

The loud noise startled everyone, when Yuushi made contact with the ball, slamming into it with his racquet strings like a tidal wave crashing onto the shore. Yuushi never, ever yelled when he served, but this time, he had shouted for a very brief instant as he hit it, so that everyone wondered if the sound they had heard had only been a trick of their ears.

But when they saw the way that the tennis ball had embedded itself into the chain link fence, completing a perfect service game, they stopped wondering.

Yuushi walked off the court in silence, leaving his teammates to think whatever they wanted to think. But he couldn't have cared less about what he had just done…

No, he was much too angry to care about something as pointless as tennis.

He walked up to the washing area, which was around the corner from the courts. And so no one was watching, as he ripped the glasses off of his face and turned on the faucet. And he splashed the water into his glaring eyes, but the cool liquid didn't quench the burning anger that was hidden inside of him. As he ran his fingers through his damp hair, trying to coax the unruly strands out of his line of vision, he tried to take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. And it worked, but only in the sense that he no longer felt like causing physical harm to the next someone or something that dared to interact with him.

Yes, he was still angry. And he was so angry that he didn't have the slightest urge to try to mask his anger in front of his teammates.

Who cared about what they thought, anyway? They had always been against what he wanted, from the very beginning. And so Yuushi couldn't have cared less about what they thought.

And as for what Gakuto thought…

No. He wouldn't think about it. He couldn't, not now.

It was in this slightly less enraged state of mind that he returned to the courts, just as the others were finishing up their matches and starting to practice a few drills. And Yuushi played along with his teammates, going through the motions of every single drill without actually registering the activity in his mind. He had the distinct feeling that they had all stopped talking about something when he rejoined them, even though he hadn't heard any of them talking as he approached the courts. But there was a definite uneasiness still lingering around them all, and the nearer that they were to the tensai at any given moment, the more uneasy they started to look.

And Gakuto in particular looked almost frightened, which made Yuushi so furious that he was sure that he would go insane.

By the time that they were finished with the drills, the sun was very high in the sky, and the sweat was pouring off of everyone's faces, despite the cooler air of the mountain climate of Karuizawa. And it was almost as if Yuushi's unspoken frustration had spread to the rest of the group, because no one seemed to want to say much of anything in that moment, as they started stooping down to gather up the tennis balls that were strewn across every corner of the court. Even Shishido and Ootori had only made a few passing remarks to each other before falling silent and attending to the task at hand.

But as several of them were finishing up and emptying the balls into the basket, a faint sense of relief started to sneak its way into the general mood, as though they had assumed that the worst was over. And so by the time Yuushi was picking up the last few tennis balls within his reach, he could hear some faint chatter on the part of Shishido and Ootori, coupled with the occasional silly remark from Jiroh, who had been wide awake for the past few hours, strangely enough.

And Yuushi himself almost started to feel something akin to relief, but then his eyes fell on the ground beside him, onto a familiar pair of tennis shoes…

And his anger instantly returned, in all its full, bitter, raging force.

His outward expression gave no indication of this, however, as he silently rose to his feet. He had every intention of walking away from this person, as quickly as he could, but his plan was immediately ruined.

"Yuushi…" Gakuto's voice sounded almost meek as he addressed the tensai, but this only annoyed Yuushi too much for him to be able to ignore it.

"What do you want?" he asked, and the coldness in his voice could have frozen hell itself. But there was no way that he was going to let on about just how much Gakuto had hurt him. And so he watched in silence, as something like anguish flashed through the acrobat's eyes. He could have screamed at Gakuto then and there… What right did he have to look as though he was in pain, when it was his fault to begin with?

"Yuushi, what's wrong?" Gakuto finally managed, apparently trying to hide the way his lower lip was trembling slightly. But somehow, this only hardened the tensai's resolve to be unforgiving.

"What do you mean, what's wrong?" he repeated coolly. "What makes you think that anything's wrong?"

"Yuushi, I know that something's been bothering you, and---"

But Yuushi interrupted his partner with a flash of his eyes, and his tone became more heated, as the anger started rising inside of him. "Oh, so you already _know_. Well, in that case, I'm sure I don't need to tell you about it."

There was a horrible pause, and Gakuto blinked as though his eyes stung.

"Yuushi, what are you talking abo---"

"Save your breath, Gakuto," Yuushi snapped, in an angry tone that his partner had obviously never heard before. "By all means, don't waste your explanations on _me_. I don't have the slightest interest in your excuses."

There was another brief moment of silence, and then it was as though a rubber band had snapped at one end and flung itself into the air.

"What do you mean by _that_?" Gakuto shot back, frowning angrily at him. "I wasn't going to explain anything to you!"

"Oh, I see," Yuushi replied bitterly, glaring down at the redhead. "Well, in that case, excuse me. I should have known that it was pointless to expect an explanation on the subject."

"On _what_ subject? I have no idea what your problem is!" Gakuto clenched his pale hands and met Yuushi's piercing stare without flinching.

"On what subject…?" Yuushi repeated, almost slowly. There was a fatal pause, and then a horrible sound filled the air, one that none of the Regulars had ever heard before.

Yuushi tilted his head back and laughed like death.

"On what _subject_…? Now I see. You're pretending that you don't know. Well, if you want to play that game, Gakuto, then by all means, go right ahead. And please excuse me if I ignore you out of sheer disgust."

He was ready to sidestep his former partner and start walking toward the ball basket, but Gakuto was too quick and got in his way.

"Yuushi, I don't even know what you're _talking_ about! Why can't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"Get out of my way, Gakuto," the tensai practically hissed, in a voice that was even lower than usual. He knew he was in trouble now, that he was completely losing control of the situation, but there was no way that he could stop himself from crashing.

"Why should I?" the acrobat retorted, twisting his mouth into that defiant little expression that Yuushi had only found amusing before. But it was anything but amusing now, as the anger in those big blue eyes frustrated him more than he would have ever thought possible.

Somehow, it made him feel like he could be capable of the most horrible things, of being inexpressibly cruel, even to this person, this person that he cared about… As though he just wanted to get some kind of revenge for the way his partner had hurt him…

"Get out of my way!" Yuushi actually shouted the command, much to the shock of everyone else on the court. By now, no one else was talking anymore… All attention was on this impromptu face-off between two doubles partners, who for all their little scuffles and petty differences had never fought like this.

"No!" Gakuto was shouting back, in his higher voice. By this point, the tennis balls that they had both been holding had been forgotten, and were scattering across the ground like fluorescent rain. "Not until you tell me why you're acting like this!"

"I'm acting like this because you're a _revolting little insect_." Yuushi spat out the words like venom from a cobra's mouth, suddenly and without any warning, as he released the frustration that had been building inside of him. "And I don't have to explain a thing to an _inconsequential speck_ like you."

For a moment, Gakuto looked almost as though he had just drunk poison, and then he sputtered right back, "Like hell you don't, you idiot! You're acting like a complete jerk… No, _worse_ than a complete jerk! You're---"

"I don't really care what you thi---" Yuushi tried to cut in, but Gakuto just screamed over the words that he had been trying to say.

"Shut up, you moron!" The redhead was turning pink in the face from yelling, as he practically shrieked at Yuushi in his rage. "Just shut the hell up! I hate you… God, I really **hate** you!"

And Yuushi didn't know if it was because he was breaking apart, or Gakuto was breaking apart, or what was even happening by this point to both of them, in this crazed whirl of reckless, stabbing words…

But suddenly, he just wanted the whole damn thing to break into pieces.

And so he brought his arm back, with every intention of hitting his partner soundly across the face. And he saw the terror in Gakuto's eyes in that moment, and he knew just as well as the acrobat did that he had the strength to really hurt Gakuto, and he hardly even cared if he _did_ hurt him, he was so completely out of his head by this point…

But his arm was frozen in the air.

It was so silent, that they could both hear the faint sound of the breeze rustling in the branches of the nearby trees. And now, in this moment, when the force of their anger was halted so suddenly that they hardly remembered what they had been doing beforehand…

Now they both saw why Yuushi couldn't move his arm.

"Don't. Just **don't**."

It was said with the most serene kind of authority, and there was Ootori at Yuushi's side, holding the tensai's arm firmly in place and looking every single one of his six feet and five inches in height. He had dropped his usually humble tone of speech, and there was a strange light in those warm brown eyes as he met his senpai's bewildered stare.

And much to both Yuushi and Gakuto's confusion, Ootori wasn't the only one in their midst, either. Shishido was standing between the two of them, with his arm stretched out protectively in front of Gakuto, as if ready to shield the acrobat from any blow that he might have been in danger of receiving.

"If you try to do it, I won't let you," Shishido said, and his voice was strangely calm, even though his eyes had a dangerous spark in them.

And just as both Yuushi and Gakuto were about to say something in protest, angry that these two, of all people, should have interfered…

"Don't do it," they both said in unison.

And the breeze above all four of their heads whispered a hundred threats, and the anger in Yuushi and Gakuto's faces slowly extinguished itself into a mute disbelief.

Yuushi lowered his arm, and Ootori allowed it to slip from his grasp, even though that determined light was still gleaming in his eyes as he watched. And Shishido, too, lowered his arm, even as Gakuto's glance lowered to the floor, too ashamed to look up again.

Now that his anger was gone, Yuushi could already feel that horrible, aching pain coming back into his chest, as he thought about what he had almost done. And he almost wished that he could just disintegrate into nothing, right then and there, rather than live through the aftermath of what had just happened…

But none of them disintegrated, and they all just stood there, in the worst kind of silence, as the other four Regulars looked on the scene in complete disbelief.

And just as Yuushi was thinking that he would have to say something, or otherwise risk losing his mind from the pain of that silence, and just as he was thinking that it seemed like Gakuto might say something, even though he looked almost ready to cry, which alone was enough to make Yuushi wish he that was dead from sheer _guilt_…

Just like that, the words were out of both of their mouths at once.

"I'm never speaking to you again."

There could have been no other conclusion, in the hurt embarrassment of that moment. Yuushi couldn't forgive Gakuto for what he had done. And he especially couldn't forgive Gakuto for not even _admitting_ what he had done, in requesting that their partnership be brought to an end. He had never even asked Yuushi what he wanted, and Yuushi had always been the one who had wanted it. And for that, for the value that the tensai had always placed on their status as a doubles pair, not to mention for the way Gakuto had just driven him to act like an idiot in front of the entire team …

And above all else, for the way he had just discovered that he felt for this partner, who had inadvertently rejected him that very morning…

For the disappointment, for the pain, for the anger that this indirect rejection had already caused him, in the space of less than a day…

For the fact that what he felt for Gakuto was so strong that it was taking over his every foolish, stupid, misguided action…

For all of that, he couldn't find it in his heart to say anything else.

And as for Gakuto, Yuushi couldn't blame him for saying it, either. For what he had almost done just a moment ago, for the horrible things that he had said out loud that he could never really mean, and for the way he had never actually explained to his partner why he was so angry, like any normal, rational person would…

For all of those things, he couldn't be forgiven either. And so it was inevitable that they were not speaking to each other…

It was inevitable. Things that weren't gold or silver just had to break, sooner or later.

It was inevitable.

For a brief moment, Yuushi and Gakuto's eyes met, and both of them flinched. The silence was awful, and both of them were suddenly afraid of another outburst, afraid that the next one would leave them both in pieces before it was through. And so in that moment, the silence was truly frightening, and Yuushi wished more than anything that someone would say something, _anything_, to break this horrible cycle…

In that moment, Atobe finally spoke up, in a voice that sounded clearer than crystal.

"I believe it's almost time for lunch. Let's go back to the cottage and cool down, everyone."

That was it.

No lecture, no judgments, no obviously sarcastic undertone that hinted at the stupidity of their reckless behavior. Nothing.

There were only footsteps, as Hyoutei's captain started down the path toward the house, and every last Regular followed him without question. That was the way that it always was, and it was no different now, no matter what had broken apart on that warm summer morning and was now left for dead on the abandoned tennis courts.

In that moment, Yuushi truly believed that it would never be fixed again.

**-End of Chapter Eight-**


	9. Lost and Found

**A/N: **Hello again, everyone! After a crazy few weeks at school (read: midterms XP), I finally managed to complete the second-to-last chapter. This one was a bit of a challenge, but I had fun with it, and I really hope you all enjoy it. You can expect the final chapter to come out within the next few weeks. Thank you so, so much to everyone who has been reviewing this story! The encouragement has been just amazing. I really couldn't have come this far without it. **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames will be ignored.

**Warning:** Shonen-ai/slash/BL/yaoi/whatever-you-call-it.

--------------------------

**Chapter Nine: Lost and Found**

"_Above all else, being in love will throw you completely off balance."_

…

Gakuto was never coming down again.

Of course, he knew that he was lying to himself… When that self-important voice finally did speak through the intercom, threatening to make Gakuto run a hundred laps around the mansion if he didn't show up to dinner, then the acrobat knew that he would obey that garbled command and descend the ladder that was propped up next to his head. But for now, he was vowing with a kind of silly satisfaction that he was never going to come down, and it almost made him feel better about the whole awful mess that he had gotten himself into…

Well, _almost_.

Gakuto was up in the loft in his bedroom in Atobe's cottage, lying on his stomach and looking down onto the furniture below. And he was trying to ignore that sick, dizzy feeling that kept coming over him, when he let his thoughts dwell on anything except the layout of the bedroom. But he just couldn't keep himself from thinking about those other things, the things he didn't want to think about at all…

And so he closed his eyes, trying to block out absolutely everything that was racing through his mind. But this only made his train of thought even clearer.

_Oh, god…_

_Yuushi._

Just like that, a tidal wave of painful emotion washed over him, and Gakuto almost wished that he could just disappear into nothing, right then and there. He couldn't deal with this… He wasn't strong enough to handle these kinds of emotions, not when he couldn't keep his temper in check as it was, not when he wasn't even mature enough to handle a kissing scene in a movie without making some kind of sarcastic comment to dull the discomfort…

He just couldn't handle being in love with his doubles partner.

Of course, it had only been a matter of hours since Gakuto had even realized that he was in love in the first place. He certainly hadn't realized it the night before… The anguish he had felt when he watched Yuushi reach out his hand toward the moon had been too powerful for him to understand what he was feeling. In his muddled state of mind, he had hardly known which direction was up and whether it really was the floor that was beneath his feet, so overcome had he been in that moment. And so when he had collapsed on his bed and ridiculed himself for crying, he had barely even realized that he was crying, much less why he was letting those tears pour down his face.

But then that dream… that horrible dream…

That dream had made the truth impossible to ignore.

…

_At first, Gakuto thought it was real. It seemed so clear to him, the vision of Yuushi standing in front of his bed and looking down at him with all that feeling in his dark blue eyes, that he was convinced that it was actually happening. And so even though he was only half-awake, he wanted to call out to his partner, to ask him why he was looking at him like that, to reach out and touch him and tell him that he had actually been crying, of all things, because he wanted him more than anything and he didn't even know **why**…_

_Somehow, though, he couldn't move. He couldn't even speak. And so he just stayed there, eyes barely even cracked open, looking up at the tensai with an aching feeling in his chest…_

_But then Yuushi did the unthinkable, and Gakuto realized without a doubt that it was only a dream._

_Yuushi, his partner Yuushi, Yuushi with the deep voice that always sent shivers up and down Gakuto's spine whenever he least expected it to, Yuushi the unreachably perfect genius who really shouldn't have been playing doubles in the first place, especially not with someone like him…_

_That same Yuushi had leaned down and had given him a kiss on the forehead._

"_Goodnight, Gakuto," he said softly, before he disappeared into the darkness._

_And the feeling that swept over Gakuto in that moment stayed with him, even after the memory of the dream had become hazy in the light of the morning._

…

Of course, Gakuto had tried not to think about it. If he could have ignored everything that had happened, he would have made certain that it never crossed his mind again. But the second that he had woken up that morning, he had discovered that it was impossible _not_ to think about it. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get that image out of his head, of Yuushi standing in front of the window, soaked in blue moonlight, and the way that the sight had left him completely speechless…

And then to think of that kiss, the way it had felt just to _dream_ of Yuushi kissing him, even if it had never really happened…

No, he couldn't ignore it anymore.

He was in love with Yuushi.

"Ugh…" Gakuto rolled over onto his back, covering his eyes with both hands and trying not to feel like the room was spinning.

He would have wondered when he had fallen for his doubles partner, but he knew better than to try to guess. After all, it was obvious that he had felt like this for longer than just one night… And that made sense, really. Of course he wouldn't have noticed it. Gakuto didn't spend his time thinking about how he felt about other people; he just reacted to what was going on around him. So until it had completely blindsided him, he had never even paid any attention to it.

But now that he knew, every little confusing thing finally made sense… Like the blush that was always creeping into his face whenever he talked with Yuushi, or the way that deep voice sent electric shivers up and down his spine when it was just a little too close to his ear. Or like the frustration that filled his entire being sometimes, when things were going badly, that frustration that would make his words come out in stuttered syllables and then make him do incredibly stupid things like stomp on Yuushi's left foot during afternoon practice and make everything fall apart for approximately the twenty-sixth time that week…

_God… Why do I even remember things like that?_

Gakuto sat up then, grimacing to himself.

Yes, it was obvious that he was in love with his doubles partner, and it was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. Of course, he hadn't _meant_ to fall for Yuushi. He wasn't stupid enough to think that anything good would come of it. And what was even worse, was that he had already discovered something days ago that had proven for a fact that his feelings would be nothing but trouble for both of them …

They weren't really a doubles pair.

After all, it was one thing for Shishido and Ootori to sit there on the bus and whisper sweetness and light to each other, when they could play a game of doubles in perfect harmony and beat better opponents without even trying. But he and Yuushi could never be like that. Yuushi was unreachable, and anyway, the two of them were always fighting, and they had practically nothing in common, and besides, there was no way that Yuushi would feel the same way…

Gakuto brought his knees up to his chest, burying his head in his arms.

When he thought about all of that, about how there was just no way that he and Yuushi could ever become a perfect combination, he just couldn't stand the thought of playing with Yuushi anymore. It would have been too painful, trying to play tennis when he knew that they would never overcome their differences, that Yuushi was being held back from reaching his true potential just because of some random occurrence that Gakuto couldn't even remember now…

_Why did we start playing doubles together, anyway?_

Well, the acrobat couldn't remember why, but it didn't matter. Even though he had given himself a headache more than once, trying to remember why, it still didn't matter. He just couldn't play doubles with Yuushi, not like this. After all, he knew that there was no real reason for them to be playing doubles together, even though he wished more than anything that there was a reason, because he was a complete idiot and he wanted too much…

He wanted _Yuushi_ too much…

_Oh, god._

He just couldn't play doubles with Yuushi anymore.

Of course, that vague feeling that he and Yuushi shouldn't have been playing doubles together had been bothering him for over a week now. But he had never really understood why, not until he had discovered his feelings for his partner. Now, though, he knew for a fact that he would never be able to concentrate if he tried to play with the tensai, and what was even worse, he knew that he would never be able to reach Yuushi, that he would never be on his level, that he would never even be close. And because of that, they would never play like a Golden Pair, or any pair at all…

They weren't a pair. They never would be.

And the pain that Gakuto had felt when he realized this fact was what had finally driven him to do it.

…

"_I don't want to play doubles with Yuushi anymore!"_

…

He had asked Atobe to rearrange the playing order, so that Yuushi would be playing singles, and so that Gakuto would have a different doubles partner.

He had told Atobe that he never wanted to play doubles with Yuushi again.

He had done it recklessly, without even asking Yuushi about it, but he couldn't even stand the thought of trying to discuss the idea calmly with his doubles partner. No, if Gakuto had tried to explain it to Yuushi, everything would have fallen apart. He would have blurted out everything, about how pointless it was for them to be playing doubles, about how inferior he felt next to the tensai, about how he actually _loved_ him…

No. There was no way in hell that Gakuto was going to let that happen.

But then again, what had actually happened was a thousand times worse.

…

"_I should have known that it was pointless to expect an explanation on the subject."_

"_Yuushi, I don't even know what you're talking about!"_

"_Get out of my way!"_

…

Of course, Gakuto really didn't know for sure why Yuushi had been so angry that morning. There was no way that the tensai could have known about what he had said to Atobe… Or at least, Gakuto had assumed that there wasn't, but he had clearly overhead _something_. Otherwise, Gakuto couldn't imagine what could have put his partner into such a terrifying rage… Yuushi never got angry like that, at least not as long as Gakuto had known him.

No, he had never lost his cool so completely that he had yelled at him or retaliated in any way, and he had certainly never tried to hit Gakuto before…

Even now, Gakuto's heart was pounding in his chest, just thinking of the poisonous wrath that had been spilling out of Yuushi's mouth as they fought.

…

"_I'm acting like this because you're a **revolting little insect**. I don't have to explain a thing to an **inconsequential speck** like you."_

…

… Why?

Gakuto knew that Yuushi would have been annoyed with him, for breaking off their partnership without even telling him. The acrobat had expected a few bitingly sarcastic remarks about the decision, maybe a "Well, thank you for the _advance notice_, Gakuto," or even "I hadn't realized that you had gotten so _sick_ of me, Gakuto."

But that completely painful anger that had exploded in his face, without hesitation, or even the slightest explanation…

Gakuto had never, ever expected that. Not from Yuushi. And it had hurt, too, like something sharp had pierced right through his chest, when just looking at Yuushi now was enough to make him feel like needles were pricking his heart in every direction… It was the kind of pain that made it almost impossible to think straight, the kind that made you just want to lash out at everything around you…

And so Gakuto had lost his head.

…

"_Shut up, you moron! Just shut the hell up! I hate you… God, I really **hate** you!"_

…

Of course, it was a lie.

Every word of it was a lie… He couldn't possibly hate Yuushi. He _loved_ Yuushi. The pain he had been feeling in that moment only proved it… What the sharp ache in his chest had been screaming was how much he wanted to be with Yuushi, not how much he wanted to get away from him. And the idea of calling someone like the tensai a moron was just laughable, even in the heat of a moment like that. Gakuto was the one who was the idiot, who had done something as incredibly stupid as falling for his doubles partner, who would never even feel the same way about him…

And he hadn't wanted Yuushi to shut up, either, even though every word the tensai was saying was horribly painful. But he couldn't help wanting his partner to keep talking, if only for the feeble hope that maybe he would say something else other than insults, something like how much Gakuto mattered to him, or maybe even that their partnership was something worth keeping, despite the fact they would never be perfect together…

_Inconsequential speck._

Well, that was a foolish hope. Obviously, Yuushi didn't feel that way at all…

_Revolting little insect._

Gakuto's eyes were stinging, and he started blinking as fast as he could, forcing the water back down behind his eyes. He wasn't going to cry again, no matter how much it hurt, the way his stomach was twisting into knots just thinking about what had happened…

But what was even more painful was that it had nearly been much worse.

…

"_Don't do it."_

…

Gakuto actually shuddered, trying to imagine what would have happened if Ootori hadn't held Yuushi back. It had never occurred to him that he could be afraid of Yuushi. They had always been friends, and even if they squabbled sometimes, they never really fought with each other, at least not with the intention of harming each other. Even when Gakuto acted like a spoiled brat, Yuushi had never lost his temper or tried to hurt him. And so he had never been afraid of the tensai, or expected even the slightest physical retaliation…

Until that morning. But that morning, he hadn't even had the choice to assume otherwise. No, Yuushi had clearly been preparing to hit him, as hard as he could, and if no one had stopped him, Gakuto probably would have… he would have…

Well, Gakuto didn't know what would have happened to him, but his heart was pounding in his chest at the mere thought. And…

And it made him angry.

He didn't hate Yuushi, of course, but he was still mad at him for what had happened. He was hurt, and angry… Angry that Yuushi had never even told him what he was so mad about, angry that his partner would have actually dared to hit him if Ootori hadn't stopped it, angry that everything was falling apart so fast and that it was mostly his own fault, of course, but dammit, it was Yuushi's fault too…!

…

"_I'm never speaking to you again."_

…

Gakuto was about to spit out a string of incoherent swear words at the ceiling, when the sudden sound of a voice interrupted his train of thought. Sure enough, it was that cold, clear voice that had brought the fight on the courts that morning to an abrupt end. And now that same voice was currently addressing his team in a slightly mechanical tone over the loudspeaker…

"_Hello again, everyone. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, and I expect to see all of you there in half that time, regardless of what you might be doing at the moment. That is all."_

A short beeping sound signaled the end of Atobe's intercom message, and Gakuto nearly groaned in frustration. He hadn't realized that it was almost dinnertime, even though the clear view of sunset through the bedroom window should have given him some idea of that fact. But now that he knew it for sure, he was starting to feel sick to his stomach…

The mere idea of having to sit in the same room with his former partner, the partner who was furiously angry at him and had even tried to hit him, and try to calmly eat dinner while pretending that nothing had even happened between them…

Gakuto didn't know whether he was nervous, miserable, indignant, or just scared.

He did know one thing, though… Even though he couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment, even though he wasn't sure what he was going to do when he saw Yuushi again, he did know one single thing, and he couldn't possibly avoid this world-shattering reality any longer…

He was horribly in love with his doubles partner.

He was in love with Oshitari Yuushi.

_Stupid… Stupid, stupid, stupid---!_

And Gakuto climbed down the ladder.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Gakuto was sure that he was going to be crushed.

It was only a matter of time, really, what with the way that the paralyzing silence in the room was weighing down on all of them. Of course, it wasn't completely silent… There was the occasional sound of somebody chewing, and maybe the sporadic clang of silverware as it tapped against the china. And there would be that steady _clink clink clink!_ noise, about every five minutes, when Jiroh would dump another spoonful of sugar into his iced tea and swirl it around like flakes in a snowstorm. But all those tiny things couldn't possibly mask the overwhelming silence that loomed in the air above their heads like a two-ton anvil.

Strangely enough, there had even been an occasional attempt at conversation, with Ootori or else Shishido or maybe even Jiroh trying to say something to the rest of the group. But they almost always stopped in the middle of their sentence, and even if they did complete it, no one would respond with anything more than a monosyllabic grunt. Which was usually Kabaji, who was saying "Usu" now to just about everything that anybody said, with something like desperation in those mild brown eyes. So of course the ultimate reason for the silence was obvious by now.

The reason was that Atobe had not said a single word.

It was the strangest reality in the string of bizarre events that had led up to this point, but Hyoutei's captain, the narcissistic and incredibly verbal individual who led them all with the force of his speech, had not bothered to speak even once during dinner. It was extremely unsettling, especially for the Regulars, who had become so used to Atobe rambling in grandiose, eloquent phrases about anything and everything that it was a given that his voice would be an integral part of the conversation. In fact, they were so conditioned to expect Atobe to offer his opinion on every possible subject, even when it wasn't wanted, that silence on the part of the captain usually just meant that the captain wasn't there in the first place. But no, Atobe was there, sitting at the head of the table, sipping his tea and looking extravagantly unconcerned with the events, or lack thereof, that were currently unfolding.

Or rather… He would have looked completely unconcerned, except…

Except that there was this strange light in his eyes, a silver gleam that looked like it could have melted steel into wax, if it had focused itself onto anything in particular. But the captain was just staring off into space, and nobody was melting, and Gakuto was just praying that the anvil would drop already, because he was sure that the silence was going to crush him, and he didn't want to be there for even one second longer.

He didn't want to be there for a second longer, because if even one more person gave him that _look_, that stare that felt like it could cut through him like an icicle, the acrobat was convinced that he was going to scream aloud.

Gakuto couldn't describe that look, exactly, but it was that kind of expectant glance that just ate into a person like acid, that kind of almost pitying expression that made him want to squirm in his seat like a worm writhing on the sidewalk. It was the kind of look that said, "You're so screwed, you know," and Gakuto _did_ know, and he didn't want to be reminded of that fact, not when there were a million other reminders right in front of his face. And especially not when the most unforgettable reminder was sitting right next to him.

_Oh, god… Don't think about it!_

Yes, Yuushi was sitting right next to him. Yuushi was sitting right next to him, and more than anything, Gakuto really did want to be crushed with a two-ton anvil so that he would be flattened into a pancake and disappear into nothing. Then he wouldn't have to think about how he was sitting next to Yuushi, or about how Yuushi hadn't said a single word since he had walked in over fifteen minutes late, or about how the tensai wasn't looking at anyone at all and certainly not at Gakuto… Or especially about how Yuushi still looked like the moonlight was shining on him, in that light powder blue shirt he was wearing, or about how he smelled like shampoo and soap, since his hair was still wet with the shower he had just taken…

_No, **don't**. Just stop thinking about it, you stupid---!_

Of course, Gakuto would have given anything to not be sitting next to Yuushi. But fate had not exactly been on his side, when the acrobat had entered the dining room and found only two seats open, with Yuushi being the only person who hadn't arrived yet. And he had submitted to the inevitable without a word, with the meek resignation of someone about to be executed, and he had endured the bitter sting of watching the tensai walk through the door and sit in the chair next to him as nonchalantly as if Gakuto had been invisible.

But now he almost wished that he _had_ made a scene, and absolutely refused to sit next to Yuushi, at any cost to his own dignity or well-being… Because anything at all was better than the torture of trying not to think about this person, this person who was sitting right next to him and killing him without even saying a word.

Gakuto didn't need any more words, after all. He could fill them in on his own.

_Revolting little insect…_

_Inconsequential speck…_

_Get out of my way!_

The acrobat stared weakly at the plate in front of him, not even attempting to pick up his fork anymore, not even with the minimal effort that was required to stab at his food in helpless desperation. He hadn't bothered to put even one bite into his mouth, not when his stomach was feeling this uneasy… But now he couldn't even bring himself to poke around with the silverware, or give the slightest impression that he was doing anything except sitting there in agonizing dread.

And so he sat there, and they all sat there, and they listened to the sound of Atobe setting his cup down on the saucer like it was a gavel resounding in a courtroom, but there was never any verdict, and the minutes just sprawled by.

It was about five minutes after the plates had been cleared away for the second time, in between the main course and the dessert, that Gakuto noticed the way that everyone was looking at each other, almost like they were expecting something to happen. It seemed to be a false expectation, though, as another minute ticked by in the same silence…

And then, slowly, Yuushi stood up, looking like he was going to start making his way to the door.

Gakuto wasn't sure why, but suddenly, he was afraid. He was afraid that Yuushi would actually walk away from him, and that somehow, if Gakuto let him, he would never really come back. It was a stupid feeling, of course, one of those crazy things that he would have completely ignored if it had only been two weeks earlier, but now…

Now, he couldn't ignore it. And so he did something incredibly stupid.

He reached out and grabbed onto Yuushi's sleeve.

The tensai turned toward him, and there was an ugly spark in those blue eyes… Gakuto just knew that he was going to hit him, that he wouldn't stop this time, that everything really would fall apart…

It was going to fall apart…

…

But then the anvil fell.

"Hey, guys, _I _know!"

Jiroh stood straight up, like a rocket had just exploded under him. The chair he had been using fell over and clattered to the floor, and his hands pounded against the table. The glass next to his plate teetered for a moment, and then tipped over, sending a splash of iced tea flying across the snow white tablecloth.

There was an overwhelming disbelief in the air, as they all stared at their normally narcoleptic teammate, who had been conscious for almost twelve hours without falling asleep.

"Know… what?"

It didn't matter who had actually said it; it was the universal question. And they all gaped at Jiroh like life itself had been suspended in midair, until he finally answered.

"I know what we should all do tonight!"

He looked around at them all expectantly, until someone finally asked…

"And what's that?"

He nodded emphatically for a moment, as though he had already answered the inquiry. And then he hit his hands against the table again for emphasis.

"We should play _hide and seek_."

The silence was deafening, as the dust from the anvil cleared. Slowly, the iced tea seeped further and further into the tablecloth, spreading out in every direction, and everyone was frozen in place, afraid to even think a single word about what to make of this…

And then suddenly, there was the clear, watery sound of someone laughing. They all stared in astonishment at the completely unexpected source.

It was Atobe.

"Well, if no one objects," he managed at last, suppressing a final chuckle as he lifted his tea cup and took another sip, nodding for the butler to clean up the spill. "I don't see why not."

There was a change in the room then, almost like the air had just breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Wait… We're doing _what_?" Shishido even managed his usual cynicism, as he raised an eyebrow at Atobe in confused astonishment.

"Evidently, we're playing hide and seek," Atobe confirmed, just as calm as always.

"In the dark," Jiroh added.

"In the _dark_? Jiroh, what in the hell---?"

"Oh, come on… It sounds like it might be fun, Shishido-san," Ootori said soothingly.

"We're in freakin' _junior high school_…"

"Well, no need to make fourteen years old sound like forty, now, is there?" Atobe set down his cup and clapped his hands decisively. "In any case, it's been decided: we're going to play hide and seek tonight. So after dessert is over, we'll take some time to get comfortable, and I'll notify my servants of the proceedings. We'll rendezvous in the front hall twenty minutes after we leave this room. Agreed?"

There were some cautiously amiable replies, scattered in between Shishido's resigned mumbling, "Says the man with _rendezvous_ in his working vocabulary…"

And amid the profound sense of relief, Gakuto suddenly realized that he was still holding onto Yuushi's sleeve. He glanced at the tensai, who glanced back almost inquisitively, and then he jerked his hand away as though the soft cloth had burned his fingers. His gaze lowered to the tabletop in front of him, and he didn't dare look up again, but he could feel his face getting hot under Yuushi's more persistent stare. And now, even Gakuto was relieved, and he felt like he could breathe again, even under the pressure of that curious look. He didn't know why it had happened, but…

The angry spark in Yuushi's eyes was finally gone.

Even if Gakuto couldn't bring himself to say a single word to Yuushi, it was gone.

And that was enough.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Gakuto had to admit that this whole damn thing was just a little bit spooky.

He wasn't afraid of the dark, of course… That would be stupid, and Gakuto wasn't _that_ pathetic, after all. But ever since the servants had turned off all the lights in Atobe's summer cottage, Gakuto had still been troubled by a vaguely uneasy feeling that kept sending occasional shivers down his spine. Normally, the mansion looked warm and inviting, despite the elaborate décor that made one think twice before touching anything. But with all the lights off, the place almost looked like one of those haunted estates in the movies, the kind that were always haunted and had trap doors and secret passageways and dungeons in the basement…

Okay, that was just plain ridiculous. It was just Atobe's summer cottage, and there was nothing scary about it.

Well, there _wasn't_.

But even so, part of Gakuto was mentally cursing at Jiroh in his head, for coming up with such a ridiculous game. He hadn't minded it, when they had first met in the front hallway in their pajamas and waited for the servants to turn off every last light in the place… He hadn't even minded when Atobe had told them all to take a flashlight with them, "just in case something unfortunate occurs and you find yourself disoriented… Yes, Jiroh, that means _lost_." And he hadn't even minded during the first few rounds of the game, when he had managed to find a really good hiding place and just sat there in his spot, waiting for someone off in the distance to yell "I _found_ you!" and then to start the process all over again, meeting back up in the front hall and then hiding once more.

But now that he was actually the one who was 'it,' every hair on his neck was standing on end.

After all, it was one thing to have to sit and wait for someone to come and find you. But actually having to walk around in those darkened hallways, with that horribly constant suspicion that someone was going to jump out at you and try to make you scream like a girl, which Shishido had already done to a few unfortunate people that night… Well, that was something else entirely. And Gakuto wasn't exactly enjoying it.

He glanced down the long hallway on the second floor, almost wishing that he could just turn on the flashlight that was currently sitting in his pocket. But that had been declared "against the rules, except in case of emergency," and anyway, he didn't want anyone to know that he was nervous about this stupid game. Besides, it wasn't actually that dark in the house in the first place… Now that everyone's eyes had adjusted to the new lighting, the nearly full moon that shone through the windows was providing more than enough illumination to keep them from slamming into anything.

But that didn't really make Gakuto feel any better about the situation… In fact, he almost wanted to turn on the flashlight just to make that horribly pale glow break into pieces and scatter into the dark corners of the house.

The last thing that he wanted to see right now, after all, was moonlight.

But he wasn't going to think about it, he decided with his firmest resolve. No, it would be stupid to think about it, when all he had to do was find someone and tell them that it was their turn to be 'it,' and then he could go back to hiding in that perfect place of his, the one that he was sure that nobody would check. After all, the only reason that he was 'it' in the first place was because he had decided to try a different spot, just to see what would happen, and he wasn't going to make that mistake a second time…

Of course, this minor task of finding someone, anyone at all, was proving to be more difficult than he would have guessed. Naturally, the house was very big, even gigantic, especially considering that it was supposed to be a summer cottage. And most of the building was fair game, with the entire second floor and almost all of the first floor being open for hiding, with the lone exceptions of the kitchen and the servants' quarters. So it wasn't exactly an easy task to accomplish, no matter how simple it may have seemed at first glance.

Gakuto had walked up and down every hallway at least twice, and peeked into most of the rooms that he had passed, but he still couldn't find anyone. And that moonlight was bathing the whole house in silvery blue, and Gakuto was starting to feel even more on edge than before, and maybe even a little bit lonely, which was really just stupid, but even so…

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

What if someone was hiding in that perfect spot?

It was a slim chance, of course, but it was at least a place worth checking, especially since he'd been wandering around for so long already. And so Gakuto started walking down the hallway, as quietly as he could manage, and he slipped through the doorway to his own bedroom…

No, no one was in the room itself. But that didn't necessarily mean that his perfect spot was empty. He looked at the step ladder for a moment, and then took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. If someone was up there, the odds were good that they were going to try to scare him, especially if they had picked his own bedroom to hide in. So he wasn't going to go up there without being prepared.

Once he had persuaded his heartbeat to stop beating quite so fast, he put both his hands on the sides of the ladder. As quickly as he could without being noisy, he climbed up the ladder and peered over the edge of the loft, trying to see into the darkness. He waited for a full minute, forcing his eyes to adjust to the pitch blackness in front of him, and trying his very best not to breathe too hard… But he couldn't see anyone at all. Even so, he lifted himself onto the floor of the loft and crawled forward on his knees, trying to look in every corner of the place.

But no one was there.

Gakuto breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, as his muscles relaxed. It made sense that no one was in there. Why would anyone hide in his room, anyway, when it was the first place that he should have thought to look…?

The acrobat turned around and started crawling back toward the ladder, so that he could head out into the hallway and try to look in some of the other rooms…

Two arms grabbed him abruptly from behind, yanking him back into the darkness.

His heart stopped beating, and his mouth started to form the shape of a scream, but a hand quickly muffled the sound, firmly pressing itself against Gakuto's lips. And now he really was scared, and he was getting ready to kick the person as hard as he could, when a familiar voice whispered right into his ear, sending that electric shudder down his spine…

"_Ssshhhh._ Don't say anything, Gakuto."

The acrobat's eyes were wide, as he tried to call out his partner's name, but the muted noise that pressed against the firm hand didn't sound like much of anything. And he even tried to turn around, making a desperate attempt to get a look at the face that he expected to be there, but he could only squirm a little in the strong embrace that was pressing him up against the unseen person's body. And they both sat there for a moment, kneeling in the fragile darkness, with absolutely no sound except the constant breathing that was making the chest next to Gakuto's head slowly rise and fall.

And Gakuto could feel his muscles going limp, as his body relaxed against that powerful grasp…

He wondered if maybe he really was disintegrating into nothing.

If he was, then disintegrating felt strangely… well…. _wonderful_.

But just as he was starting to think that he was maybe floating somewhere off into space, that voice started speaking again, and he couldn't relax anymore. Relaxing was impossible, with that hauntingly deep voice murmuring right into his ear, softly teasing the thousands of butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence in Gakuto's stomach, without him even realizing it. And anyway, the words that this beautiful voice was speaking were horribly urgent, and Gakuto was starting to be afraid again, afraid that something bad was going to happen to both of them if he ever got the chance to speak, but maybe that chance would never even come…

"Now listen to me, Gakuto. I know what you asked Atobe to do this morning."

Gakuto's breath caught in his throat.

"I know what you asked him, and I want to know _why_ you did it. I want to know, because…"

Here, that beautifully deep voice faltered, and even the infamous tensai of Hyoutei seemed at a loss for words, despite the fact that this was a complete impossibility, in Gakuto's mind at least. And the thought was never finished, either, as Yuushi's voice failed to conclude the sentence.

"I just want to know why you did it," the voice insisted at last. "I want to know, and you never bothered to tell me, and that's why I was so angry this morning. So at least do me that courtesy, Gakuto, and then I'll leave you alone for good… If that's what you want."

And just like that, those arms released Gakuto, and the acrobat felt strangely depressed, like he had been left all alone in the dark again. But he turned around as quickly as he could, with a scramble of his limbs, and sure enough, there was Yuushi, kneeling right in front of him. And even looking at him was almost too much to bear, and he didn't want to say anything, because the look in those eyes was suddenly making him feel guilty, and he didn't want to explain what he had done.

He knew that he would say too much… He just knew that he was going to say too much…

"I'm sorry, Yuushi," he said, without even realizing it until he heard his own words. "I'm sorry, okay? I just… I just don't want to play doubles with you anymore!"

There was a horrible silence, and Gakuto almost covered his mouth in disgust. How could he just blurt something out like that, right in front of his partner? Especially if he cared about him, and Gakuto really _did_ care about him, and the guilt he felt was paralyzing. He finally managed to start mumbling out a retraction, dropping the words as though he was tripping over his own tongue.

"Oh, god, Yuushi…. I… I really didn't mean to say---"

"Don't apologize, Gakuto," was the unexpected reply. The acrobat did a double take, and was shocked to see the way Yuushi's eyes were shut, like he was concentrating very hard on something.

"Don't apologize," he repeated very slowly, opening his eyes again and staring right at Gakuto. "I know that you feel that way. Just tell me why."

And now Gakuto knew he was in trouble, as his heart sank into his toes. He didn't want to admit it, not in a million years, but how could he avoid it anymore?

"Why do I…?" Gakuto swallowed, hard, trying to keep his words from escaping from his mouth too quickly, in the vain hope of stopping himself from saying something that he'd regret. But this only made him stutter in incoherent, half-finished sentences. "Well, it's just that… I mean, Yuushi, I couldn't… Well, it's not _that_, but it's just… I just…"

And the words wouldn't come anymore, and in that silence, Gakuto was forced to take a deep breath, and to think about what he should say to his former partner.

And then he said it.

"Yuushi," he began, very quietly. "It's not because I don't want to play doubles with you. It's just that we aren't really a doubles pair at all."

There was a pause, and Yuushi frowned at him, and Gakuto could feel his insides twisting under the force of that look.

"What do you mean by _that_?" the tensai demanded, sounding strangely hurt.

"What do I…? I mean, we're just _not_," Gakuto insisted bitterly, almost hoping that Yuushi would just hit him and get it over with. "We're not a doubles pair, Yuushi. Not if we can't even win a match against people that are just randomly paired together by chance! And besides, we're always fighting, and we don't have anything in common, and anyway… and anyway…"

Gakuto tried to catch his breath, as he sputtered out his last complaint with something like anguish.

"And anyway, I don't even remember why we're playing doubles together in the first place, and I'm sick of always holding you down!"

For a moment, there was nothing but the darkness, and Gakuto could feel his words throbbing in the walls, hanging around both of them like a heavy fog.

But the tensai's next words made Gakuto completely forget about all of that.

"You don't remember why we play doubles together, Gakuto?" came the surprisingly subdued question. There was still a definite pain in his partner's voice, but it sounded almost helpless, completely different from the defiance that had been there before.

"No," Gakuto almost squeaked, feeling ashamed. "Should I…?"

Yuushi just looked at him for a moment, and much to his own shock, Gakuto could feel himself trembling under that painfully frustrated gaze.

"I've always known why," the tensai said slowly, his voice sounding even lower than normal. "But I couldn't forget, even if I tried."

There was a pause, and then…

"Gakuto, the only reason that we play doubles together is because I want to."

In the blink of an eye, time wound backwards like an old video cassette tape, and Gakuto saw something flash in front of his mind that he had long since forgotten.

…

"_I think you two should play doubles together."_

"_If we're going to play doubles, you're going to have to keep up with me."_

"_Fine, I'll play doubles with you. And I'll keep up with you, too. You can bet on that."_

"_So, you two want to play doubles together? Are you sure about that?"_

…

That was right. They played doubles together because it was the only way that Yuushi would consent to play tennis.

"Oh… Oh, I forgot… I forgot that it was…" Gakuto stumbled over his own words like they were cracks in the sidewalk. "Oh, god, Yuushi, I'm _sorry_. I forgot about that… I should have asked you first…"

"It wouldn't have mattered," Yuushi interrupted almost dryly. "I never would have agreed to it."

Gakuto bit his lip, trying to hold back his curiosity, but he found that he just couldn't.

"Well, why _not_?" he finally demanded.

But the look in those dark blue eyes made him freeze into place.

…

_It seemed so clear to him, the vision of Yuushi standing in front of his bed and looking down at him with all that feeling in his dark blue eyes. And the tensai leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead…_

"_Goodnight, Gakuto," he said softly, before he disappeared into the darkness._

…

Yuushi put his heads on either side of Gakuto's face, almost too gently, as he bent down and kissed his partner on the forehead.

"Why haven't you noticed, Gakuto?"

That deep voice was scolding him almost tenderly, and Gakuto couldn't breathe. He didn't even notice the way his whole body was quivering, under the force of that feather-light kiss.

"Don't you understand?"

Gakuto knew that this must have been a dream. Except that couldn't have been a dream, because then the whole day would have to have been a dream, and it wasn't. But it _had_ to have been one, because this was impossible…

"I** love** you."

_Oh, god…_

It was too late. Gakuto had never meant to hope for this, but now he was hoping, and he just knew he was going to fall down and shatter into a thousand pieces if it wasn't really true…

"You don't mean that," he heard himself say, painfully, trying to choke back the longing in his voice.

"Why wouldn't I mean it?" Yuushi protested, almost indignantly, with his hands still pressed against Gakuto's face, forcing the acrobat to look up at him.

"Because I… because…" Gakuto could only whisper out his reply, knowing all too well that he wasn't hiding anything in his eyes anymore, and that he was really in trouble now. But even so, he couldn't stop himself from saying it.

"Because I can't reach you, no matter how much I want to."

For a moment, Yuushi looked completely bewildered. And then a smile slipped onto his mouth, and then it stretched just a little wider, and then it bloomed into a full-blown grin. And the tensai actually laughed, and Gakuto was stunned, because as gorgeous as Yuushi was without even trying, he was a thousand times more handsome when he was smiling like that, and it was stealing the heartbeat right out of his chest…

"Oh, Gakuto…" He laughed again, and before the acrobat even noticed, those two arms were around him once more, and that low voice whispered moonlight into his ear, as Gakuto fell backwards onto the floor with the force of Yuushi's embrace.

"Don't you know better by now? Of course you can. You can _fly_, Gakuto."

…

It was a feeling that only Gakuto knew, when he lifted his feet off of the ground to do his signature acrobatic moves on the tennis court. It was almost confusing, that sensation of soaring through the air, head over heels, until it was difficult to tell the sky from the earth and which way he was actually falling. It was like touching the moon with his toes, just before gravity took control and brought him back down to the ground again.

Kissing Yuushi was kind of like that.

It was different, though, because just when Gakuto was sure that he was finally coming back down to earth, then Yuushi would press his lips up against his mouth again, and reality would spin upside down and inside out. But it wasn't like that horrible feeling of falling that he sometimes had, not at all… No, this was like flying, and it made Gakuto want to hold onto Yuushi even tighter, because he didn't want to come down ever again, and he wouldn't have to if Yuushi just kept kissing him like that…

So even when Yuushi tried to get up off of the floor, Gakuto pulled him back down on top of him and started kissing his partner himself, and pretty soon, they were doing it all over again.

_Oh, god… I really do love him… and…_

_He loves me._

And there was a flash of heat and a shallow gasp of a breath, and suddenly, Yuushi's tongue was in Gakuto's mouth, and those warm hands were crawling across his chest, fiddling with the first button on his pajama top, and his bathrobe had already slipped down past his shoulders, and the funny thing was… the funny thing was…

The funny thing was that Gakuto didn't even mind.

Of course, that was until a bright beam of light flashed in his eyes and starting burning his retinas.

And then a cold, clear voice broke into his train of thought, and he grimaced, at exactly the same time that Yuushi did…

"Well, well, well… Look what happened to our missing-in-action acrobat. It would seem that he found someone after all. How _strange_, that we were never notified of this remarkably fortunate occurrence."

Yuushi quickly got off of Gakuto, and they both tried to sit up as nonchalantly as they could, in the face of this unexpected interruption. But it was impossible to hide their disheveled appearance, and the smirk on the intruder's face indicated that he already knew perfectly well what had been going on.

"Apparently, our seeker found something more interesting than our little game of hide and seek, a-a-an?"

And Gakuto and Yuushi said it at the exact same time…

"Shut up, Atobe."

But their captain just laughed, standing on the rungs of the stepladder and shining his flashlight right into their eyes, probably just to annoy them.

"Are they really up there, Atobe-san?" a concerned voice said from down below.

"Are they still in one freakin' piece?" another voice added.

Atobe turned and looked down at the room below, with the smirk still firmly fixed on his mouth.

"They are, in fact, in one piece. Which is all the more remarkable, given the fact that they were originally in two pieces."

"What? You mean they're… Holy crap, Atobe, don't _look_!"

Gakuto scrambled to the edge of the loft, so indignant that he'd completely forgotten that he didn't really want to be seen when he was this much of a mess.

"We are _not_, Shishido, you idiot!"

"Oh, there you are. Well, your clothes are still on… Hey, Atobe, don't say stuff like that if they aren't really doing it."

"Well, ore-sama didn't know what they were doing," Atobe remarked piously, raising his eyes up to the ceiling. "It was clearly some sort of scandalous activity, and I wasn't going to examine it just to confirm my assumptions. I don't support voyeurism, you know."

"… Says the man who used to watch a certain doubles pair kiss on the court after school hours."

And Gakuto had to smile, when Atobe glared over at Yuushi for his well-timed comeback. Of course, Gakuto didn't know when Yuushi had seen Shishido and Ootori kissing, but it wasn't like it surprised him. It was obvious… They were a perfect doubles pair, after all.

Which made it all the more humorous when the aforesaid pair started protesting in embarrassment.

"What are you talking about? We don't do anything on the court…!"

"Yeah, yeah, save it, you two," Gakuto remarked with a smirk. "We've seen you."

And of course Ootori just squirmed at that response, whereas Shishido still felt the need to retort, even though he didn't actually have a decent comeback at his disposal…

"Whatever," he said, crossing his arms in frustration. "Just… Whatever, Gakuto. At least we aren't like you two. I mean, seriously, _it's about time_."

And Gakuto just blinked in surprise, feeling a blush creep into his face. He glanced over at Yuushi, but his partner looked just as confused as he was.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What, it's not obvious?" Shishido just rolled his eyes. And Atobe started chuckling again, something he seemed to be doing with increasing frequency during this vacation.

"I'm afraid I would have to agree with Shishido on this one. You two certainly took your sweet, sweet time. It's been… what? Two years? Or even longer than that?"

"Two years? Two years for _what_?" But the narcissistic captain never answered their questions, instead gesturing for them to follow him, as he started descending the ladder.

"Atobe, what are you talking about?" Yuushi demanded, as Gakuto reluctantly took the first few steps down toward the floor.

"Oh, never mind. If you're that clueless, it really doesn't matter. Now, where is… Ah, there you are, Kabaji."

"Usu."

"And where is… Oh." The captain just shook his head, at the all-too-typical sight of Jiroh draped over the hulking second-year's shoulder. "Thank you, Kabaji. I guess he finally tired himself out."

And the captain reached up and patted his most loyal teammate on the shoulder, his gaze lingering rather fondly on the sleeping redhead.

"Well, I think we're all a little tired out," he declared after a moment, switching off his flashlight. "What do you all say to an early bedtime? Of course, ore-sama won't ask any questions, should you choose not to occupy your own beds."

Atobe smirked, and Gakuto definitely wasn't the only one to blush bright red.

"_Atobe_---!"

"Yes, yes, I know, you're all touched by ore-sama's merciful benevolence. Just go to bed already. Come, Kabaji… We have to go find that unfortunate grouch who still harbors the vain hope that he's going to succeed me, and tell him that the game is over…"

"Usu."

And their captain left the room, leaving two bewildered doubles pairs looking at each other in perplexed astonishment.

But then they all smiled, even amid the awkward embarrassment. And for a brief moment, the math finally clicked in Gakuto's head…

_Doubles equals dependence._

_Dependence is to love as partners are to lovers._

_If doubles partners love each other, they can become lovers, and love will make dependence increase exponentially, which is fundamental to a better combination._

Gakuto almost wanted to laugh aloud, because it was really just so cliché…

But then again, compared to the equilateral triangle, this math made a whole lot more sense.

Besides, what with the way Yuushi was taking Gakuto's hand in his own, with the way those dark blue eyes were smiling down at him, with the way his tall partner was leaning down toward his ear now, to confide a secret suggestion in that startlingly low voice…

Gakuto decided that he could get used to the occasional cliché.

After all, what could be more cliché than finding love in the dark?

**-End of Chapter Nine-**

**- - - - - - - - - - - -**

**Footnote: **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone! I just wanted to mention that there will be one last chapter to this story, which will be from Yuushi's perspective and will be wrapping up the whole thing (as well as connecting some loose ends I introduced earlier). I will do my best to finish it in about a week or maybe a little longer. Also, I just wanted to say that hide and seek in the dark is the most awesome game EVER, and you should all play it if you get the chance. I don't care how old you are. XDDD


	10. Missing Piece

**A/N: **Well, after much too long a wait, here's the final chapter of _Head Over Heels_, with a short author's note at the end. I'm really sorry for how long this took to post, everyone! I just hope that you all can enjoy it anyway. **I appreciate any and all feedback/critiques/reviews/hugs.** Flames will be ignored.

**Warning:** Shonen-ai/slash/BL/yaoi/whatever-you-call-it.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Missing Piece**

"_Sometimes, the discovery of that essential missing piece will make the surrounding puzzle unimportant."_

…

Yuushi woke up to the feeling of someone's arm lying across his chest.

He smiled to himself, as he shifted to one side, so that he could see the person to whom the arm belonged. And of course, there was Gakuto, sprawled across the bed with his limbs outstretched, looking like he was trying to fly. But then again, Gakuto always slept like that, at least as far as Yuushi knew. So he had expected it to happen…

Well, he had expected it from the moment when Gakuto had fallen asleep in his arms last night. But before last night, he would have never expected this scenario, not in a million years.

He certainly would never have expected that it would make him this happy.

As gently as he could, Yuushi slid the stray arm onto the mattress, and then he carefully lifted himself onto one elbow. His eyes never once left his partner's sleeping face, that adorable face that was half-buried in the pillow, looking as innocent as a redheaded angel…

_God, how sentimental can I get? … And Gakuto's definitely no angel._

Yuushi chuckled a little to himself. Well, maybe his partner wasn't exactly an angel, but he was still adorable anyway. And that didn't change one simple fact…

He was helplessly in love with him.

He was in love with his partner.

He gazed affectionately at that face just a little longer. But then his daydream came to a sudden halt, as a single thought occurred to him.

Were they even partners anymore?

Of course, it went without saying that he and Gakuto weren't fighting now. That whole ugly misunderstanding had been cleared up in the dark during the previous night. But he and Gakuto hadn't discussed whether or not they were really going to keep playing doubles from now on. If they weren't going to play doubles, then Yuushi would have to stop calling Gakuto his 'partner' like that…

Well, no. No, he wouldn't. Something inside of Yuushi already realized that, doubles or not, he would always think of Gakuto as his partner. After all, they were something much more than just teammates now, and they had always been something of a set, even off of the court. They joked together, they sat on the bus together, they walked home together… They were partners off of the court, as well as on it. So it didn't matter, as far as that went, whether or not they were going to keep playing doubles together…

And then suddenly, Yuushi realized that it didn't matter at all.

It was completely unexpected, but it was true. It didn't matter in any way, shape, or form whether or not he and Gakuto kept playing doubles together. He hadn't realized it, but the only reason that Yuushi had clung so stubbornly to their partnership was simply because he had been in love with Gakuto without knowing it. And so of course he had wanted to be close to Gakuto, in any way that he could. But now that they were together in a completely different way, a way that didn't depend on their tennis partnership, Yuushi knew that it didn't matter to him whether or not they played doubles together.

No, it didn't matter. And maybe it was better if they didn't play doubles anymore. Maybe it did make more sense for Yuushi to be playing singles.

Then again…

Then again, maybe they _should_ still be playing together. Now that he and Gakuto finally understood each other, like Shishido and Ootori did, they might make an even better combination on court. But that still remained to be seen. And if it wasn't true, there was no particular reason for them to keep playing together.

Still, either way, Yuushi knew that he would be content with the outcome. It didn't matter… There was only one thing that mattered… Just one thing…

Yuushi bent down and kissed Gakuto lightly on the mouth.

"Mmmmmrrghh," was something of the noise that followed in response, as the acrobat shifted in his sleep.

"Gakuto," Yuushi murmured in his partner's ear, with a smile playing on his lips. But the acrobat just shook his head, barely even awake, as he tried to retreat under the blanket. Yuushi laughed quietly.

"Gakuto," he said again, pulling the blanket down. "It's morning already."

"Go to hell, Yuushi," was the muttered response. But the tensai just smirked.

"If I did, you'd just try to follow me," he remarked, whispering it right into Gakuto's ear, mostly because he already knew that it gave his partner the shivers.

"Ahhh! _Stop_ that. Yuushi!" Gakuto sat right up in bed, glaring at him. "I would not."

"Oh, yes, you would," was Yuushi's prompt retort, as he gazed fondly at his bedraggled partner, who really did look adorable in those plaid pajamas. "In any case, it woke you up, didn't it?"

Gakuto just growled in response, trying to blow a few strands of hair out of his eyes.

"You're grumpy this morning," Yuushi observed calmly, giving Gakuto another kiss before getting out of bed and taking his glasses off of the nightstand. But in the very instant that he had finished putting the frames on his face, he felt a sudden pressure on his back, and two small arms slipped around his waist.

"You know I'm not a morning person, Yuushi," was the surprisingly quiet reply.

Of course, Yuushi understood that Gakuto meant to say more than that. After all, Yuushi already knew that his partner hated waking up in the morning, and so that detail went without saying… But there were other things that Gakuto was saying, in between those few words, and hearing them in the silence only made Yuushi smile.

"_I love you."_

"_I'm sorry for snapping at you."_

"_I'm just tired after last night."_

The tensai would have wondered when it was that he had acquired the ability to understand what Gakuto really meant, in between the words that were actually being said. But he already knew the answer to that question…

It had happened last night.

…

_Gakuto suddenly realized that he was still holding onto Yuushi's sleeve. He glanced at the tensai, who glanced back almost inquisitively, and then he jerked his hand away as though the soft cloth had burned his fingers. His gaze lowered to the tabletop in front of him, and he didn't dare look up again, but he could feel his face getting hot under Yuushi's more persistent stare…_

…

Yes, that was the moment when Yuushi had first noticed how eloquent Gakuto's eyes could be, and had learned to read in between the acrobat's impulsive actions for their real meaning. The look in those blue eyes had contradicted everything that Gakuto had done, in ripping apart their partnership on a whim, and it was that look that had made Yuushi realize that Gakuto was feeling something completely different from what Yuushi had originally assumed. No, he hadn't been bored with Yuushi, or sick of playing doubles with him, or angry with his partner at all…

What Gakuto had really meant by his painful decision was that he wanted to be with Yuushi, and that he wanted it too much to keep hiding it anymore. And when Yuushi had finally figured that out, it had been easy to swallow his pride and heal the rift between them.

For a split second, as Yuushi stood there and felt the way that Gakuto was embracing him, Yuushi wondered if that was the secret to playing a perfect doubles game. To understand your partner completely, even when the outward signs said something different from what he actually meant… To trust your partner enough to let him read those hints, even when they revealed something that you were afraid to say out loud…

Was that what it meant to play doubles like the Golden Pair? Was that the key to Shishido and Ootori's perfect combination?

Yuushi didn't know. But it certainly couldn't hurt.

"I know you're not," he finally responded, turning his head slightly so that he could smile down at his partner. "But we do have to get out of bed eventually, or otherwise…"

A sudden beeping noise interrupted him, mid-sentence.

"_Good morning, everyone. I trust that you all slept soundly… Those of you that actually got around to sleeping, that is. But whether you are fully rested or not, I still expect to see you all at the breakfast table in fifteen minutes."_

There was a pause, and Yuushi and Gakuto had almost assumed that the message was over, when Atobe's voice continued in a particularly suggestive tone…

"_And once again, you need not thank your merciful captain for overlooking the fact that some of you were not in your own beds this morning. See you all at breakfast."_

The message ended with a low chuckle, and another beeping sound.

For a moment, Yuushi and Gakuto just stared at the intercom speaker that was mounted on the far wall.

"Bastard," Yuushi finally muttered. "Why does he keep bringing it up, if he's overlooking it?"

"… How does he even know about it in the first place? Ugh." And Gakuto shuddered. "I'm starting to think he's got cameras rigged up somewhere."

Yuushi's eyes met Gakuto's, and they both started laughing.

"Probably. I wouldn't put it past him, in any case… He's a sick, sick man, you know," Yuushi joked, smirking a little.

"Oshitari Yuushi, what on earth are you saying? I have articulated this to you excessively… I do _not_ support voyeurism!" Gakuto rolled his eyes, lowering his voice in a somewhat ridiculous imitation of Atobe's speech pattern. And Yuushi really couldn't help laughing.

"Don't, Gakuto," he gasped out, trying to stop. "He's probably recording this conversation… You'll be kidnapped, or tortured, or something…"

But his partner was too busy cupping his hands around his eyes like binoculars, still using that ridiculous voice. "No, ore-sama is certainly not a pervert… That would be utterly preposterous… Damn, that Tezuka is a nice piece of as---"

"Gakuto!" By this point, Yuushi was just trying to catch his breath. "He'll have your head on a platter if he hears you."

"Hmph. I'm not scared of him." And Gakuto just tossed his head. "He makes fun of us, so why shouldn't we?"

"I suppose so," Yuushi relented, finally able to keep himself from laughing. "But I'm not going to save you if he sends professional assassins to bump you off."

"Yuushi," and Gakuto's voice started going up into a whine. "That's mean, you know."

"Yes, I'm a horrible person." Yuushi chuckled a little, wrapping his partner in another hug. "But you should know that already."

To his surprise, Gakuto didn't offer a witty comeback. Instead, there was a quiet pause, and then the acrobat murmured, "You're not a horrible person, Yuushi. Not at all."

And the tensai couldn't resist a smile, as his arms tightened around his partner. He stood there a minute longer, just enjoying the feeling of Gakuto's smaller body pressed up against him. But then he released his partner, gently but deliberately.

"We should get going," Yuushi said at last. "There's no point in making His Royal Highness wait. He'll start having a fit, and we certainly don't want that."

"Okay, okay. I'm coming," Gakuto sighed, finally getting out of Yuushi's bed. "Ugh… Atobe's such a control freak."

There was a pause for a moment, as Yuushi thought about this.

"He certainly is," the tensai said at last. And he couldn't help thinking to himself that Gakuto had no idea how true that was. Yuushi didn't know all the details yet, but he was starting to realize that Atobe knew even more about everything than he would have guessed. And there had been several recent remarks that had made him think so…

…

"_You can both just ignore it, like you always do."_

"_That's a personal objective of mine… And it's confidential information, I'm afraid."_

"_Shouldn't you be discussing this with Oshitari?"_

"_You two certainly took your sweet, sweet time. It's been… what? Two years?"_

…

And Yuushi glanced over at Gakuto, who was still standing by the bed. But the acrobat just returned his stare with confusion in those blue eyes, and Yuushi knew it was too much to ask for his partner to be equally suspicious of their captain. Well, that didn't matter. Yuushi could figure out that particular mystery all on his own.

"What?" Gakuto asked, cocking his head slightly in response to Yuushi's stare.

"It's nothing." Yuushi paused for a moment, and then he smiled quietly. "I love you."

And Yuushi just admired the effect of that familiar blush, as it spread across Gakuto's face…

But if the tensai's hypothesis was correct, he owed Atobe a greater expression of gratitude than he had ever given to anyone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Our Oshitari-Mukahi pair will be playing against Shishido and Ootori for the top doubles spot."_

…

Yuushi strolled right into the library, only to find exactly what the tensai had expected to see there: Hyoutei's ever-arrogant captain sitting in an enormous armchair, behind an equally imposing desk. Atobe's head was slightly bent down toward the book that he was writing in, but other than this subtle posture, nothing indicated any particular attention toward his current activity. Still, Yuushi couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

"Writing in your diary?" he asked in an ironic tone, not bothering to announce himself.

There was a pause, as Atobe glanced up at the tensai with something of the air of a reigning monarch being pestered by an insect.

"It's a journal, if you must comment on it," Atobe said at last, continuing to write in exactly the same manner as he had been before Yuushi's entrance. "What can I do for you, Oshitari?"

"I had something to ask you," Yuushi began, as he watched the way that Atobe's pale hand slid across the paper.

"And what would that be?" The captain's tone was still incredibly casual, hardly even aware of the context of the question.

But the tensai hesitated for a moment. He knew what he wanted to ask… Or at least, he knew essentially what it was that he wanted to know from Atobe. But when it came to phrasing it as a question, Yuushi wasn't quite sure what he was asking. And then something occurred to him.

…

"_Aüf wiedershen, Tezuka."_

…

There was a moment of silence, as Yuushi debated with himself. Of course, he knew that this was pushing the envelope, but then again, Atobe certainly never hesitated to speak his mind. And so he said it anyway.

"Atobe, I overheard you talking with Tezuka Kunimitsu two nights ago."

For a very brief moment, Yuushi saw Atobe's eyebrows flick upward in surprise, and the tensai almost smirked with the satisfaction of having finally caught his leader off guard. But the expression was gone in an instant, and just like that, Hyoutei's captain had completely regained his ice cool composure.

"And you had a question regarding this rather pointless subject?" Atobe turned a page and continued to write, his voice maintaining its customarily smooth tone.

Yuushi almost grimaced, but then he simply took a deep breath and continued. "Yes, I did, and I can't say that I would call it 'pointless'… What does Tezuka Kunimitsu have to do with our training session here?"

There was a long silence, as Atobe sat there in his armchair, staring at the blank pages in front of him. And then he quietly shut the book, folding his hands as he returned the tensai's piercing stare.

"While I'm sure it goes without saying that it is none of your business, I will tell you this much…"

Here Atobe paused, just long enough to let his usual self-confident smile slide across his lips.

"… You'll find out everything that you need to know about _that_ at breakfast today. And whatever your assumptions may be about what you heard, I am quite certain that your conclusions will prove to be inaccurate."

Atobe slowly stood up, grasping the journal in his hand as he began to saunter toward the door. But Yuushi wasn't going to let the captain leave it at that, not this time.

"Atobe."

The captain paused, right in the doorway.

"You've been plotting something all along. Don't think I don't know that." Yuushi's eyes remained fixed on the back of Atobe's head, daring him to move. But Atobe just chuckled.

"Have I?" came the smug retort.

Yuushi could have rolled his eyes out of sheer frustration. Really, it was too much to ask to have to deal with such a self-absorbed individual like this. But he still had to know something, and Atobe was the only one who could possibly have the answer. And so he let his voice drop to a quiet murmur, the closest that Yuushi had ever come to begging…

"I just want to know what knocking Gakuto and I out of first singles had to do with this."

The ensuing pause felt as though it took hours, and not moments.

…

"_It was nothing more than an experiment, really."_

…

"So you remembered after all," Atobe commented at last, almost lightly. "I'm impressed, Oshitari."

"How could I forget?" Yuushi replied, raising an eyebrow. "That discussion with you was just the beginning of all of this chaos."

Atobe actually threw back his head and laughed, in a strangely casual way. And then he turned to look at Yuushi, with a slight smile on his face.

"It wasn't really the beginning, you know," he said quietly. "It was just the first time that you decided to notice it."

Atobe paused again, and Yuushi almost tried to ask what he meant by that, but then the captain continued, with a faint light hidden somewhere in those clear, cold eyes.

"In any case, don't overestimate my influence, Oshitari. I can't be held responsible for _everything_… I just tell it like I see it."

With a brief, almost unnoticeable movement of his arm, Atobe brought his hand up to his face, with that familiar gesture that had become a habit of his whenever he had one of his infamous flashes of insight. And then with another chuckle, he was gone.

And even Oshitari Yuushi had to smile.

_So that's it._

It went without saying that Atobe Keigo was a calculating person. He could see people's most hidden weaknesses, and he could use that insight in whatever way that he felt was to his advantage. And he had obviously used those powers of observation in rearranging Hyoutei's two doubles teams…

But to whose advantage?

…

"_You two certainly took your sweet, sweet time. It's been… what? Two years?"_

…

No, Atobe couldn't be responsible for everything. Whatever his role may have been in forcing Yuushi to see the problems in his relationship with Gakuto, Hyoutei's captain couldn't have dictated the tensai's actions. No, not his, and not Gakuto's actions, either. In the end, the events that had followed Atobe's decision had unfolded at their own choosing, leading right up to the previous night's crescendo…

But Yuushi knew now that without that initial decision, they could have never arrived at this unforeseen destination. And the tensai was starting to suspect that this particular decision might have actually had very little to do with tennis.

Still, Yuushi really did have to smile, as he walked out of the library and started heading for the dining room, in anticipation of the explanation that he had just been promised.

After all, it was clear that Atobe had long since figured out that Yuushi had been in love with his doubles partner, and he had allowed that insight to dictate at least some of his most recent decisions…

But when had Atobe become so gifted that he could even see the weaknesses in people's hearts?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Well, this was interesting.

"Game, Mukahi. Three games to love," Hiyoshi called out from the referee chair. And Yuushi had to smile at the confident way that Gakuto was carrying himself, tossing his red hair with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

Of course, the acrobat had a reason to be proud: he was beating Momoshiro of Seigaku, and he was doing it by himself.

It was a much simpler story than it should have been, really, when it came to explaining why Gakuto was playing a singles match against Momoshiro Takeshi, of all people. For one thing, Yuushi would have never guessed that Seigaku was training in the mountains at the same time that they were – though, admittedly, in what could not be called a 'mansion' by any stretch of the imagination. And for another thing, the tensai really should not have expected for the two teams' paths to cross, in spite of that strange coincidence. And yet, here they were…

And somehow, Yuushi wasn't exactly surprised.

…

"_Yes, I know that. I'll uphold my end of the bargain. But you owe me one, you know."_

…

Of course, Yuushi had taken the hint, from the moment that Seigaku's coach walked into Atobe's mansion at breakfast that morning, that this was what their captain's telephone conversation with Tezuka Kunimitsu had been about. And by the time Hyoutei had boarded their bus to head toward Seigaku's training grounds, Yuushi had put the rest of the missing pieces of that particular puzzle together. So, in a way, Atobe had kept his promise: Yuushi had received a complete, if unspoken, explanation for everything that he had overheard two nights before.

This was all part of the bargain, of course. Atobe had obviously struck a deal with Tezuka to help Seigaku prepare for the finals against Rikkai. And he had done it without bothering to tell the rest of them what he was planning… Which more than accounted for the astonished expressions on the rest of his teammates' faces, when Atobe coolly announced that they would all be playing singles matches as part of a training session with Seigaku that afternoon.

Nevertheless, it made perfect sense to Yuushi.

Of course, Atobe was going behind Sakaki's back by doing this; their coach hardly ever agreed to practice matches with other schools, especially not with teams that were still in the running for Nationals. And so it was no wonder that Atobe had kept this a secret from all of them until the very last moment. Besides, it was fairly self-evident why Atobe had chosen to accept this offer from Tezuka. After all, if Seigaku actually managed to win against Rikkai, that would mean a better chance for Hyoutei to receive the team invitation for the National Tournament. And that was perfectly in line with Atobe's normally self-interested motives.

But then again… It didn't explain _everything_.

For one thing, it didn't explain why Yuushi was strangely enjoying this whole practice session with Seigaku. First, there had been the tensai's own singles match against Fuji Shusuke, and while that had been something of a failure for him, he had actually found himself engaged in a tennis match for the first time since their defeat at Kantou. It was almost bizarre, really… He would have expected that he wouldn't have been interested in tennis anymore, since he had no particular reason to keep playing doubles with Gakuto, which had been his whole excuse for playing tennis for Hyoutei in the first place.

And yet, when he had found himself standing across the net from the only other person in the junior high circuit who could hit the infamous Higuma Otoshi…

He had been strangely excited.

…

"_As expected from you… I completely lost. It's all right… I had fun."_

…

It hardly even mattered to Yuushi that he had been defeated. And that was strange enough… After all, he had once taken it personally that Fuji Shusuke was much better known for the Higuma Otoshi than he was, and he would have expected to feel frustrated upon losing to someone that he considered a clear rival. But as he had shaken hands with Seigaku's tensai, after losing to the shorter boy with a score of 5-7, he had discovered something that was even stranger…

Playing singles was _interesting_.

It was strange, but it was true. After playing nothing but doubles for two years, Yuushi had discovered that he had finally reached a level of tennis where the singles matches were just as unpredictable as doubles. And he had actually enjoyed playing against such a challenging opponent. In fact, he even found himself reconsidering the idea of playing singles for official tournaments, an idea that would have seemed completely unacceptable to him only a week ago…

And then there was Gakuto's match, which still wasn't over.

"Game, Mukahi. Four games to one."

Yuushi watched as his partner flew through the air, completely bewildering his opponent as he won point after point. Of course, that Momoshiro was a tricky one, and there was no way of knowing if the acrobat's winning streak would last for the entire match, but even so…

Even so, Yuushi couldn't help feeling proud of him.

…

"_They're not the only ones who've matured."_

…

Yuushi smiled as Gakuto's feet landed on the ground again. It was true, he thought. Seigaku wasn't the only team that had grown as a result of that fatal first round at the Kantou Regional Tournament. Hyoutei may have had to deal with a devastating loss, but they had all grown from that experience. And they had learned a few things about themselves in the process… Yuushi couldn't help thinking about Ootori and Shishido, who only a few months ago had barely known each other. And then, of course, there was Gakuto…

"Super Great Momoshiro Special!"

Yuushi felt his glasses slide down his nose.

Sure enough, that Momoshiro was pulling something out of thin air at the last minute, using a crazy shot that had so much power that the bounce on the ground was delayed. And Yuushi didn't even want to think about how hard he must have been hitting that unfortunate tennis ball, to leave a crater in the ground like that…

Well, that was Seigaku for you, after all.

"Game and match to Seigaku's Momoshiro."

Yuushi just shook his head.

_That guy._

Of course, it wasn't really _that_ surprising, as far as probability went… Gakuto's style of tennis was made for doubles, and the duel had been a complete mismatch when it came to hitting strength. Still, the acrobat had made quite a showing against his former opponent, and he had proven that his stamina problem was all but solved. But more than that…

"Okay, but I won't forgive you if you lose in the finals," Gakuto was saying as he shook Momoshiro's hand.

More than that, Gakuto was actually being rather calm about the loss, no matter how ridiculous the circumstances had turned out to be.

_Well, that's different._

After all, Yuushi couldn't help thinking of a time, not so very long ago, when the mere idea of a loss had been enough to make Gakuto stomp angrily on a certain person's foot.

…

"_Yuushi, it's almost match point, you know."_

…

And with the knowledge of what had happened since that day, Yuushi really couldn't resist a brief chuckle.

But then again…

…

What kind of a stupid name was "Super Great Momoshiro Special"?

"That's some bad naming sense," he heard himself muttering, trying not to think about it too hard, since Momoshiro obviously hadn't.

"… That's just uncool."

And the astonishment on Shishido's face was absolutely priceless, as he stared at Ootori with an open mouth. The second-year player had said his senpai's trademark phrase right along with him, at the exact same time, syllable for syllable. Gakuto shot Yuushi a rather suggestive look at that, but the tensai could feel himself just shrug. Well, that was a perfect doubles pair for you, after all.

And then they couldn't resist sharing a certain knowing smirk.

Well, that was a perfect doubles pair, but he and Gakuto didn't have any real need for perfection.

What they had was something else altogether.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Tell me… Do you know the answer to this question?_

_Do you know how love starts?_

…

The sun had fallen behind the western horizon, by the time that the Hyoutei Regulars boarded their charter bus to return home. It had already been starting to set when they left Seigaku's training camp, but now it had disappeared for good, only to leave a star-kissed twilight stretching across the sky like a cloud of smoke.

The air was getting cooler, up there in the mountains; it was the kind of weather that made you want to pull a sweater over your head and stay outside until midnight, absorbing the moonlight and the nighttime breeze. But there was no time for that, because they were all heading home. The bags were already packed and loaded into the storage compartments, and the driver was climbing into his seat and getting ready to slip the key into the ignition slot.

It was a damn shame, Yuushi mused as he leaned back in his seat and stared out the window.

There had been no help for it, though; it wasn't like Hyoutei was a democracy. As soon as they had boarded the bus after the practice with Seigaku, Atobe had remarked almost offhandedly that they would all be heading home that same evening. No one had even asked why they were going home _now_, of all times; Atobe had said it, and so that was that. The captain had gone on to say something about how "all of ore-sama's goals for the trip have been accomplished," but the way he had phrased it had been so vague that no one had actually understood what he was talking about. Still, it didn't matter; Atobe had said it, and so they were going home. They had had just enough time to take a brief shower and meet up again for dinner, and now it was time to leave.

"Hey, Yuushi, can I sit here?" A voice tugged at the tensai's ear, and the next thing Yuushi knew, he was smirking up at his doubles partner, decidedly unable to resist the chance to tease him.

"Of course you can't."

"Yuushi---!" And Gakuto pursed his lips in that rather charming half-pout, the one that he had a tendency to make when he was pretending to be hurt.

"Alright, I suppose I could condescend to let you sit by me," Yuushi relented with a careless shrug, trying to hide the smile that was twitching at the corners of his mouth.

Gakuto's blue eyes rolled up toward the ceiling as he tossed his bag onto an empty seat across the aisle. And then he sat down next to the tensai, putting his lips right up against his partner's ear so that he could mumble under his breath, "You sound just like Atobe, you know."

"Do I really?" Yuushi replied smugly, whispering it back into his partner's ear and secretly enjoying the way that it made Gakuto shiver. "Well, that's not good, is it?"

"No, it's not… And don't do that."

"Don't do what, Gakuto?" Yuushi whispered back, making sure to breathe the words right next to the acrobat's earlobe.

"Yuushi---! Stop that!" Gakuto hissed, smacking the tensai firmly on the shoulder. And Yuushi figured that it wasn't the time to mention that Gakuto's physical retaliations almost never hurt him.

"Alright, you two," the expectedly arrogant voice said as it floated over the general commotion inside the bus. "I don't know what it is that you're doing back there, but please save it for the privacy of your own homes."

"As if, Atobe!" Gakuto snapped. But Yuushi couldn't resist adding, in a rather suggestive voice, "Don't try to hide the fact that you so obviously want to join us."

Gakuto had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud, and Yuushi smirked in satisfaction as Atobe turned his head and stared at the tensai, with one eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Yuushi just shrugged a little, staring at the ceiling, and waited until Atobe had looked away again before adding, "We don't do threesomes, anyway. You'll just have to endure your disappointment."

Atobe just glared toward the back of the bus, before tossing his head and sniffing out an annoyed "I wish you wouldn't flatter yourselves," as he faced forward again. And Yuushi could hear Shishido snickering, and Ootori was probably blushing at all the double talk. Which left Jiroh, who was already sleeping, and Kabaji, who was just sitting next to Atobe in silence, and Hiyoshi, who was sullenly ignoring everything around him…

Yes, all was right with the world.

The bus gave a slight jerk as it started to pull out of the driveway and onto the road, rumbling down the secluded path at a steady pace. It was fairly dark inside the vehicle; almost all of the lights were off, and Yuushi had a clear view of the landscape as it rolled past his window. It really was nighttime now, with only the thinnest sliver of pale blue still cutting across the horizon as a reminder of the faded daylight. And in that brief silence, all that had happened over the course of the past few days flashed through his head, and he suddenly remembered something.

"Gakuto." He turned and said it very quietly to his partner, who was fumbling around in his duffel bag, apparently in an effort to locate his CD player.

"Yeah?" Gakuto sat up again, player in hand, as he met the tensai's stare with some curiosity.

"I've been thinking about those matches that we played against Seigaku today…" Here Yuushi paused, unsure of how to continue. He was about to take a deep breath, hoping that what he had to say would manage to come out right, when Gakuto suddenly interrupted him.

"Do you want to play singles, Yuushi?"

The tensai froze in place for a moment, and then his mouth fell open in surprise. "How did you know that?"

But Gakuto just shrugged, glancing down at his feet. "I don't know… You looked like you were having a good time playing against that Fuji guy. So I figured you might change your mind about playing doubles all the time."

Yuushi looked carefully at his partner, trying to read that ambiguous look in the acrobat's downcast eyes. "Does that bother you?"

There was a pause, and then a smile slipped onto Gakuto's face.

"Nah. I already told Atobe to pair me up with someone else, didn't I?"

"Oh, so you wouldn't take me back anyway?" Yuushi chuckled, snatching the CD player out of his partner's hands and holding it high above his head. "I'm hurt beyond repair, Gakuto."

"Yeah, I'm so sure." Both of Gakuto's arms were straining for the stolen item, but his fingers couldn't even brush against it. "Give it _back_, Yuushi!"

"Not until you tell me that you love me," Yuushi whispered in his partner's ear, still holding the player.

"Fine, I love you, you cheater," Gakuto whispered back, getting up on his knees in an attempt to grab it. But Yuushi just pulled it down in one smooth motion, right past Gakuto's hands and behind his own back. Which happened to result in Gakuto falling right into him, a fact that Yuushi didn't exactly mind.

"I could kill you, you jerk," the acrobat was mumbling.

"Kiss me first," Yuushi murmured, as his free arm slipped around the shorter boy's back. And Gakuto growled slightly, which Yuushi happened to know was just for show, before relenting and pulling himself up toward the tensai's face.

Of course, their lips had barely touched when a certain captain felt the need to comment, "If you two are doing what I think you're doing back there, I'm going to make you pay for any ruined upholstery."

"God, they're not at it _again_, are they? Holy crap, they're like rabbits…"

"Shishido-san!"

And Gakuto just rolled his eyes in Yuushi's direction, which led them to both smirk at exactly the same time.

"Oh! Oh, _Yuushi_---! Don't stop! Please don't stop! God, I _want_ you," Gakuto gasped out, every syllable said with an overly dramatic sense of urgency.

"Leave it to me, Gakuto," Yuushi added, in a breathless voice. But that was really too much, and they both burst out laughing.

"…Oh. They were faking."

"With such completely absurd dialogue, I could only hope so."

"C-can we just leave them alone now?"

And of course, the peaceful silence that followed left Yuushi and Gakuto plenty of time to finish their kiss in the dark, after which Gakuto settled back into his seat and put on his headphones. As for Yuushi, he found himself gazing out the window, and suddenly his eyes caught sight of that glowing orb that was rising just above the black shadows of the passing trees. The moon was barely beginning to wane, and to a casual observer, it would have still looked like it a perfectly round sphere, as it shone down into the night.

And Yuushi suddenly remembered that secret that he had learned, in that moment when he had reached out to touch the silver moon, almost forty-eight hours ago.

…

_So, tell me. Do you know how love starts?_

_You're not the first to ask._

…

Yuushi smiled, as he thought of that night, that night when he had first realized that he was in love with Gakuto. It was a moment that he was never going to forget, one of those precious few moments that had actually mattered, and that was why it was fixed upon his memory like a page written in permanent ink. There were so few moments like that, he had come to realize, and in a strange way, it was almost a relief that not every little detail had to fit together for such an important conclusion to come to pass.

After all, it ultimately didn't matter that he had decided to play singles. It didn't matter that there was a certain someone that he still wanted to defeat, all by himself, because Gakuto would always be right there when the match was over, and they would still have each other, no matter what the result might turn out to be.

In fact, it had never really mattered whether they had played doubles together or not. It certainly hadn't mattered whether they won or lost, and it hadn't even mattered whether or not their coach would have allowed them to keep playing together up until that point. No, it hadn't mattered, because in the end…

In the end, no matter what they had said, no matter what they had done… No matter how long they had tried their very best to ignore it…

There were some things that just couldn't be stopped from falling into place.

Yuushi blinked in surprise, feeling a sudden pressure on his shoulder. But he could only smile as soon as he looked down, only to see Gakuto's head resting there. The acrobat had already dozed off from the fatigue of the day, and Yuushi found himself carefully slipping his arm around his sleeping partner, in order to keep him from leaning too far forward as the bus rattled along.

And that was how Yuushi spent the whole bus ride to Tokyo, as he just sat there in the dark and smiled silently to himself, with the knowledge of the secret that he had so recently learned.

…

_So how does love start? I'll tell you._

_Love starts when you first meet it. _

_You won't feel it until you recognize it._

_But in the end, it's no more complicated than that._

**-The End-**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **Well, after nearly a month and a half of struggling through this last chapter, mostly because of the pressure of final exams and then the insanity that comes with the holidays, I finally managed to conclude my OshiGaku fanfic. I really hope that you all enjoyed it, and I just wanted to say one final **thank you** to everyone who read my story, and an extra big thank you and a hug to all the kind reviewers who encouraged me to keep going with it. I couldn't have done it without you.

I did find this chapter one of the hardest to write, mostly because I didn't really want it to end. But I'm content with how it turned out, especially given all the chaos of trying to find enough time and inspiration to finish it.

For anyone who wishes that I'd written more frequently over the past few months, I would also like to mention that I have made a resolution to write much more over this coming year than I have in the past. And just to let anyone who might be interested know… My newest project will be posted in a few hours under the account name **FallingMarshmallows**. It's a collab fic in a journal format, and it's called _Ice Breaker_, starring Atobe and Sanada. (There was a tiny hint about it hidden in this chapter, for those of you who were paying attention during the scene with Atobe! XD) But rest assured; there's much more to come, so keep an eye on my profile page for updates. Thanks again!


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